In the Dark
by RaspberryRose
Summary: Jack and Martha fic. Set about 2 weeks after the breakup. Martha still loves Jack, but she is with Corey now. So Martha starts seeing Jack behind Corey's back. Will Corey find out? COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

It was a quiet afternoon at Noah's Bar, and Martha was bored. She looked at her watch; 20 more minutes and she was free. Her shift had seemed to drag on for hours and she couldn't wait to get home. She was supposed to go out on a date with Corey later that night, but she was going to call him and tell him that she wasn't feeling well. It was the best excuse she could come up with.

"Hey Mac," a cheerful voice said. Martha looked up and saw Tasha coming towards the counter, with Robbie and Jack close behind her. Martha's heart skipped a few beats when she saw Jack.

"Hey," Martha smiled at her friends. "Can we get 3 juices please?" Robbie smiled at her.

Martha nodded. "Sure," she said. Jack and Robbie then went and sat at a table, leaving Tasha at the bar with Martha.

Martha got out 3 cups and filled them up with juice. Tasha grabbed 2 of the cups and took them to the boys. She then returned, so she could talk to Martha.

"When does your shift finish?" Tasha asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"About 20 minutes. Thank god. I can't wait to go home. I have the house to myself tonight, so I'm really looking forward to some alone time," Martha told her.

"I thought you had a date with Corey tonight?" Tasha questioned.

Martha sighed. "I'm supposed to, but I'm gonna cancel. I just don't really feel like it tonight," she replied.

Martha looked up and found Jack watching her. She kept her eyes locked on his for a few moments but then looked away.

Tasha noticed Martha looking at Jack and she sighed. "You have to stop this craziness Mac," Tasha spoke.

"What are you talking about?" Martha asked, confused.

"I'm talking about this whole thing with Jack and Corey. It needs to stop," Tasha told her.

Martha went to speak, but stopped when she saw Beth approaching. "Hey girls. Martha you can finish now if you like. It's pretty quiet," Beth said.

"Thanks Beth," Martha smiled. Martha grabbed her bag from under the counter. "Well I guess I'm off then," she said to Tasha.

She went to walk away but Tasha grabbed her arm. "Not so fast, we haven't finished talking yet," Tasha said.

"Tash, there is nothing to talk about," she snapped, and roughly pulled her arm away from Tasha.

Robbie and Jack, who had noticed the tension between the girls, got up from their seats and walked over to see what was going on. "Is everything okay?" Robbie asked with a curious look on his face.

Martha snapped her gaze onto Robbie. "Yes Doctor, everything is fine. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going home. I'm tired and I really feel like having some 'me' time. Does anyone else have a problem with that?" she said, raising her voice.

"Nope," Robbie and Jack spoke at the same time, shaking their heads. They then quickly walked off towards the pool table. "Crazy chicks," Robbie muttered on the way. "Hey, I heard that," Martha spat out.

Martha looked at Tasha, she could tell that she had hurt her feelings. "Tash, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you," she said, sitting down on a chair.

"What's going on inside that head of yours?" Tasha asked, sitting down next to her.

"I miss Jack," Martha answered truthfully, surprising even herself with how honest she was being.

"I never would have guessed," Tasha joked.

"Is it that obvious?" Martha asked.

"Martha, you and Jack had something special. The kind of special people spend a lifetime looking for. It's not just something that you can forget about after 2 weeks," Tasha answered.

Martha sighed. "You know what I miss the most? Waking up with him in the morning. Even if it was only for a week. And I miss the way he kissed me, the way he touched me. He made me feel like I was the most important person in the world," she said, remembering back to the short time they were together.

"I don't know why I did it Tash," Martha spoke. Tasha was confused. "What do you mean?" Tasha asked.

"I don't know why I agreed to go out with Corey. I guess I just wanted to hurt Jack, like he hurt me," Martha told Tasha. "But I didn't realise that by hurting him, I'd be hurting myself even more," she explained.

"So you admit that you're only dating Corey to make Jack jealous. To hurt him?" Tasha questioned.

"Yes, I have no feelings for Corey whatsoever," Martha admitted. "I just wanted to make Jack jealous," she kept on.

"Well it's working. I've seen the look on Jack's face whenever he sees you with Corey. It's so obvious that he's hurting. Maybe now is the time to tell Corey that it's not going to work out," Tasha told her.

"Yeah, I know. But how am I supposed to tell Corey. I feel like such a bitch," Martha started. "And how do I know if Jack will even want me back. After the way I have treated him the last couple weeks, I wouldn't blame him if he never wanted to see me again," Martha continued.

Tasha laughed. "Are you really that blind? All you have to do is say the word and Jack would come back to you in an instant," she explained.

Martha smiled at her best friend. "Thanks for listening. It feels good to have told someone," she said.

"No problem. You can tell me anything, you know that," Tasha told her.

"Now all I have to do is gather up the courage to tell Jack and Corey. That's going to be the hardest part," Martha said.

"I'm glad that I'm not in your position," said Tasha.

"I've only got my self to blame," Martha answered, standing up from her chair. "Well I'm gonna go now. I've gotta call Corey and cancel our date. Then I've got to figure out a way to break the news to him and Jack," she continued.

Martha gave Tasha a hug and walked away, waving goodbye to Robbie and Jack as she passed them.

Martha was about 50 feet away from Noah's when she heard her name being called out.

"Martha," the voice called. She spun around and saw that Jack was running towards her.


	2. Chapter 2

Martha stood on the spot, watching as Jack approached her. What does he want? Maybe he overheard her conversation with Tasha, she thought to herself.

"Hey," he said when he reached her. Martha didn't say anything, just gave him a small smile. "Um, I just wanted to let you know that some of your clothes are still at my place," he told her.

"Really, I didn't know," she said, but in true fact, she knew that some of her stuff was still there. She left them there purposely; hoping that they would remind Jack of her whenever he saw them. So he wouldn't forget.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to drop them off, but I keep forgetting," Jack said.

"Okay, thanks for telling me," Martha started. "If you're going home, I'll come and pick them up now if you like," she continued. Maybe while she was there, she could talk to him about them getting back together.

"Alright, do you need a ride?" Jack asked her.

Martha shook her head. "No, I'll get my car. Thanks anyway," she replied.

"See you soon then," Jack said, and turned around and walked off towards his car.

Martha slowly made her way to her car. She opened the door and sat down. She got her mobile out of her bag and found Corey's number. "Now to call Corey, and cancel our date," she said out loud to herself.

* * *

Martha slowly walked up the driveway to the Holden house. She felt a small flutter inside her; she was nervous. She couldn't help the feeling, but lately whenever Jack was close by; she got butterflies. He was the only one who did that to her.

She made her way to the door and knocked. A few seconds later Jack was answering the door and inviting her in. "Where's your dad and Lucas?" she asked Jack.

"They've gone to Yabbie Creek to watch a movie," he told her. Good, so we're alone, Martha thought to herself.

"Um, your stuff is in my room," Jack said, turning around and walking towards his room. Martha decided to follow him, and stood in his door way watching him as he opened one of his drawers and got a small stack of her clothes out of it.

Martha's eyes skimmed around his room, it still looked the same and it still smelt the same. It smelt like Jack; her favourite smell in the whole world. Her eyes then fell onto his bed. Just looking at it flooded her mind with memories and images of them making love to each other; pleasuring each other on that very bed. God, she wanted that back so much.

She heard a cough; it was Jack trying to get her attention. She looked at him, and felt a blush creeping up into her face. How embarrassing, I wonder if he knows what I was just thinking about, she thought.

Martha spun on her heel and walked back out to the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind, but I washed them," Jack said as he followed behind her. He sat the clothes on top of the bench in front of her.

"Oh, you didn't have to. But thanks anyway," she said gratefully.

"You know, I'm surprised you're even talking to me. I thought you couldn't stand the sight of me?" Jack asked.

"Look, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you the last 2 weeks," Martha started. "But you gotta understand that I was angry and upset about how things ended between us," she continued.

"So are you saying that you're not angry with me anymore?" Jack questioned her.

Martha nodded her head. "I'm over it," she confirmed. Jack looked at her and smiled. "Thanks," he said.

"Jack, I need to tell you something," she shot out. He looked at her curiously. "What is it?" he asked. Martha looked up into his face, she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out because she didn't know what to say.

Martha then suddenly realised that Jack was standing quite close to her. God he is sexy, she thought. She actually kind of wished that he would move a little farther away from her, because she could feel something inside of her stirring and she didn't know if she would be able to control it with him standing that close to her.

Martha scratched her eyebrow and took a step back from Jack. "Um, you know what? It doesn't matter. I'll tell you another time," she said, trying to look anywhere but at him.

"Why do you feel nervous around me all of a sudden?" Jack asked her. Martha looked at him, scratching her eyebrow again. "I'm not nervous. Why would you think that?" she asked.

Jack laughed. "Because you only scratch your eyebrow when you're nervous," he replied.

"I'm not nervous. Look I'm just trying to say that I ….," Martha started, but stopped.

"Say what?" he urged.

Martha sighed. She couldn't do this right now. Plus it was probably be better if she broke up with Corey first, before she went and declared her love for someone else.

"I have to go. Sorry," she said, turning and rushing out the door, before he got a chance to stop her.

"Martha, wait," Jack called out. He sighed and sat down on a stool, noticing that Martha had left without her clothes. He'd just have to drop it off himself.

He wondered what was going on with Martha. She was acting strange, and he wanted to know why.

He'd seen the look in her eyes when she had been in his room before, and for a moment Jack had thought that maybe Martha still wanted to be with him.

But then he remembered…….., she had Corey now.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that night after dinner, Martha decided to have a shower; maybe the water would wash all her worries away. She stood under the hot spray, the water so hot that she could only just tolerate it.

Her thoughts soon drifted back to her brief encounter with Jack a few hours earlier. She couldn't believe that she had just run out of his place like that; he probably thought that she was crazy. Martha herself thought she was crazy. God, when did my life become such a drama? She thought as she scrubbed her body with her vanilla scented body wash.

Martha was happy about one thing though; she had managed to get herself out of her date with Corey. Sure, she felt bad about the fact that she was using him just to make Jack jealous, but on the other hand she couldn't wait until the minute he was out of her life. He was always calling her and the last couple days it seemed as if he was getting kinda clingy. It was creeping her out.

Martha shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping her favourite fluffy towel around herself. It was soft, just like Jack's hands. She couldn't wait until the moment Jack's hands were on her again, she felt like she could die if she had to wait much longer. Alright that's enough, she thought. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Martha slowly made her way to her bedroom, where she dried herself off and put on her matching black bra and underwear. She then picked up her dark blue silk robe and put it on over the top. She couldn't be bothered getting dressed fully. She was home by herself, so what would it matter if she was walking around with just her robe on?

Martha picked up her comb and started running it through her hair, making sure to get all the knots out. When she was done, she made her way out to the lounge room. She grabbed herself a beer from the fridge on the way, grabbed the remote control for the television and plonked herself down on the couch. Hmm, a quiet Friday night watching the footy with a beer is just what I need, what could be better? She thought.

Just as her favourite team was about to score a goal, she heard a knock at the door. Martha groaned; so much for my quiet night alone. She jumped up and walked towards the door. It was probably Tasha and Robbie.

"This better be important, coz we were just about to score," she yelled as she pulled open the door. She was surprised when she saw who was standing there.

"Jack," she said. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Jack asked, taking note of her appearance.

God, maybe Corey's here and I just interrupted them, Jack thought. "Maybe I should go," he said and went to walk away.

"No, you're not interrupting. I was just watching the footy," Martha explained, gesturing to the TV.

"Oh okay. You ran off earlier without your stuff, so I thought I'd just drop it over," Jack said.

Martha hadn't even realised that she'd forgotten them. "Thanks. Um, you want to come in?" Martha asked, taking the stack of clothes from him.

"Ok," he replied, sounding a bit reluctant.

Martha moved to the side so that Jack could come in. "Having a quiet night?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, just me, beer and the footy," Martha told him.

"Where's Alf?" he questioned. "Oh, he's gone camping with Ric. A bonding session as they put it. They won't be back until Sunday," Martha explained, sitting down at the kitchen table.

Jack sat down at the table opposite her. "So you got the place to yourself for the whole weekend," he spoke. "Yep," Martha nodded.

Jack looked across at Martha. She looked so good dressed in only her robe. He knew he shouldn't be looking but he couldn't help it. She's just so beautiful, he thought.

"Sorry about earlier. I know it seemed kinda strange that I just ran off like that," Martha started. "But I just had to get out of there, things were getting weird," she continued.

"I was wondering why you all of a sudden were acting strange. Did I do something?" he asked.

"No, of course not. It's not you, it's me," she began. Martha couldn't wait any longer; she needed to know now if they still had a chance.

"I need to know if you still have feelings for me," she shot out.

Jack looked up at her surprised. Was she stupid? Of course I still have feelings for her, he thought. But why is she asking.

"It doesn't matter how I feel. Why do you care anyway, your with Corey now," he said to her.

Jack was all of a sudden feeling angry. Was she purposely trying to piss him off? "Speaking of Corey, where is the new boyfriend? You know, the one that you started going out with only a week after we broke up. You really know where to punch a guy where it hurts, don't you?" he snapped at her.

Martha's eyes started filling with tears. She really had hurt him by going out with Corey.

"I shouldn't be here, I have to go," Jack said, standing up and walking to the door. Martha jumped up quickly; she wasn't going to let him leave. "Jack, wait. I really need to talk to you about this," she cried, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

Jack paused on the spot. He spun around to look at her and got the surprise of his life; Martha was crying. "Why are you crying?" he asked her.

"Can you just sit back down please?" Martha sniffed. It hurt Jack to see Martha crying, so he done what she asked. "Fine," he said.

Jack went and sat back in his chair, while Martha sat back down in her spot. "What is it that you need to say?" Jack asked. Martha looked at him, her eyes still sparkling from her tears.

"I'm sorry for hurting you. I promise I'll never do it again," she spoke softly.

Jack was confused. Why was she acting like this all of a sudden? It's not like she wanted him back, did she?

"I asked you before if you still had feelings for me. Do you? Because I really need to know," she said.

"God Martha, you should already know the answer to that. Of course I still have feelings for you. I always have," he began. "The feelings I have for you aren't just going to disappear after a couple weeks," he continued.

"Even after the way I've been treating you?" Martha questioned.

Jack sighed. "Yes," he replied.

Martha's insides were jumping with excitement. Yes, he still wanted to be with her.

"Why are you asking me this?" Jacked asked, breaking her from her thoughts.

Martha looked at Jack and gave him a sweet smile. "I wanted to know if we still had another chance," she said.

"What?" Jack was confused.

Martha reached a hand out to touch his. Her fingers gently moved over his hand. "I still want to be with you," she spoke honestly. Martha started to speak again. "If you want to, I'd like for us to try again," she told him.

Jack was so surprised he didn't really know what to say. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"Of course I'm serious. Why would I lie," she replied.

Jack shrugged. "Well it wasn't that long ago that you hated me, so I don't really know what to think," he said, standing up. "Besides, what if I say no to giving us another chance," he told her. Jack couldn't believe he just said that. Of course he wanted Martha back; he'd never say no to her.

Did Jack just reject me? Martha thought to herself. There's only one way to find out.

Martha stood up and started walking towards Jack. When she was standing in front of him she grabbed his hand and held it in her own. She looked up into his eyes and spoke. "I want you to think about what it was like for us. What it was like when we were in the dark. And how it felt," she spoke softly. "Can you honestly say that you don't want that back," she continued, running her hand up his arm.

Jack looked down at her. She had a sultry look on her face and he knew he couldn't say no to her. Not now, not ever. It would feel so good to touch Martha again, it would feel amazing. And his body wanted it, no question.

All of a sudden he felt her hands on his face. He felt her tongue teasing open his lips and all thoughts slammed to a halt.

As soon as Martha felt Jack respond to her kiss, she felt a stirring of desire inside of her. She wanted him, she really wanted him. There was no way she was waiting until she broke up with Corey; she had to have Jack now.

Jack ran his tongue along the roof of her mouth; Martha shivered, and moaned softly with delight. Jack always loved the small sound that came from her; it always told him that he was making her feel good.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her closer, greedy for even more. She responded by sliding her hands up under his shirt, her palms running across his bare back.

For the next few minutes the only sound in the room was their breathing as it quickened between kisses. Martha let out a small cry when Jack eventually had to pull away so he could catch his breath. Jack looked down into her face; she was breathing heavily, her face was flushed and her lips were swollen from his kisses.

"I missed this," Martha gasped breathlessly, keeping her arms wrapped around him.

Jack smiled. "Me too," he said, brushing a strand of her wet hair behind her ear. "I never thought I'd get the chance to be with you again," he told her. "Never say never," she smiled up at him.

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but before he got the chance Martha had pressed her lips to his again. Jack once again gave into her kisses. Martha moved her hands seductively down his back until she reached his buttocks. She then pulled his lower half into hers, earning a groan from him. Good, Martha thought. He wants me, just as much as I want him.

"Maybe we should take this into my room," Martha whispered against his lips. The ache inside of her was beginning to become unbearable and she knew that Jack would be the only one who could ease that ache for her. And it needed to be done sooner, rather than later. "Ok," Jack replied, still kissing her.

"Go wait for me in my room. I just need to lock the doors," she said, pulling away from him. Jack smiled and slowly wandered off towards Martha's room.

When he got there he didn't know what to do, so he kicked off his thongs and went and stood by the window, waiting for Martha to come to him. Jack's mind was spinning, he still couldn't believe that Martha had taken him back. She was driving him crazy, but in a good way. And tonight Jack was going to make sure that Martha didn't regret taking him back; he was going to make sure that she knew just how much she meant to him.

* * *

When Martha entered her room, Jack was standing by the window looking out at the moon. She closed the door, the bang grabbing Jack's attention. He turned to look at her and smiled. "Hey," he said. He walked over to her and grabbed her face, kissing her passionately.

Martha ran her hands down his sides until she reached the hem of his shirt. She tugged on it, hoping that Jack would get the hint. He raised his hands above his head, and Martha pulled the shirt up and over his head; throwing it over his shoulder, where it landed by the window.

Martha recaptured Jack's lips with hers and started pushing him towards the bed. When the backs off his knees hit the mattress, he fell into a sitting position. Martha took a step forward so that she was standing between his legs.

Jack put his hands around her waist and Martha leant down and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Jack then slid his hands from her back to her front. His hand reached for the belt of her robe, and he slowly pulled on it until it was hanging lose. He pushed open the robe and found that she was infact wearing something underneath it. It was the same set of black matching under garments that she had been wearing the first night they had slept together. They were definitely his favourite and they only proceeded to turn him on even more.

He thrust his hands inside the robe; touching her skin. She was so warm and soft. He pulled her closer to him and started pressing soft kisses against her stomach. Martha used one of her hands to hold Jack's head closer to her and the other hand slowly caressed his back.

Each kiss that Jack placed on her belly sent tiny shocks through her. He then slowly started moving the kisses up further; kissing in between the valley of her breasts, up her neck and jaw until he reached her lips. Jack was now standing again and he continued to kiss Martha while he removed the robe completely from her body.

Martha ran her hands down Jack's chest until she reached the buttons of his pants. She undone them and slowly pushed them down with her hands; leaving Jack clad in only his boxers. She then gently pushed him onto the bed until he was lying on his back. She then crawled up his body, straddling him.

Jack looked up and studied the girl who was hovering above him. She was so beautiful and so sexy, and he knew that he would never want another person as much as he wanted her. She was the only one he would ever want and he hoped that she was his to keep forever.

He cupped her face and pulled it down closer to his so he could kiss her. He then moved his lips to her neck and playfully nibbled on the skin there. "You taste like vanilla. Did you know that?" he asked in a muffled voice, as he continued to taste her. "It's my body wash. Do you like?" she said.

"I love it. It's my favourite," he told her. Martha laughed and pulled her face away from Jack. She then lowered her lips to his stomach and started peppering his belly and chest with wet kisses. Jack groaned, letting Martha know that he liked what she was doing. She made her way to his neck and then up to his lips. Her tongue initiated a deeper kiss and played with his lower lip.

Martha then sat up again. She grinded herself into his lower body; feeling his excitement. She was happy when she heard another groan come from him. God, she loved to tease him. She reached behind her back and undone the clasp of her bra; pulling it off and throwing it over her shoulder.

Jack reached up to touch her and ran his hands down the front of her. "God, you are so beautiful," he whispered to her. She smiled and bent down to give him another kiss. "So are you," she whispered back.

She teasingly rubbed her lips over his and then stopped and looked into his eyes. "Where will you be taking me tonight? What will we be experiencing?" she smiled down at him.

"I'll take you anywhere you want," he promised her with a smile.

Martha laughed and went back to kissing him, preparing herself for the places he would take her. And there they would experience the ultimate emotion; together.


	4. Chapter 4

Martha awoke early the next morning. She smiled to herself when she remembered what had accured the night before; she and Jack were finally back in each others arms.

She rolled over and reached out a hand to touch him, but was surprised when she found that he wasn't there. She sat up quickly, wrapping the white sheets around her naked body. She was relieved to see that he was still in her room.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "I have to go," he replied, pulling on his boxer shorts.

"Jack, it's only 6:30. Come back to bed," she told him. "No," he snapped at her. Martha was shocked; why was he angry all of a sudden?

"What's going on? What's wrong?" she asked.

"I can't do this. Last night shouldn't have happened," Jack said. Martha was confused. "What do you mean? I thought that this is what you wanted," Martha said, starting to get upset.

Jack sighed. "It is what I want. But not if it means that I have to share you with somebody else," he told her. "Who said you had to share me?" Martha questioned.

"Martha, you're with Corey. Last night I completely forgot about you and Corey still being together; I guess I forgot because I got caught up in the heat of the moment. And then just before, I was watching you sleep, and I was thinking about how great it was that you were mine again," he began.

"But then it finally clicked. You're not mine, because you're still with Corey. And then I started thinking about him touching you, and the two of you together in this bed….," he continued.

Martha laughed. "You think that I slept with Corey? Are you crazy?" she said. Martha couldn't believe that Jack actually thought she'd slept with Corey. She would never have slept with him; not ever. She would never have done that to Jack. Even though she and Jack had broken up, it still would have felt like she was betraying him.

Jack looked at her in surprise. "You didn't sleep with him," he stated. Martha shook her head. "Of course not. I'm surprised that you would actually think that," she said to him. "Besides, why would I want him, when I can have you," she exclaimed.

Jack felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The thought of Martha sleeping with Corey had made him feel sick to the stomach. He hated the idea of another guy even touching her. But now that Martha had explained that she hadn't slept with Corey; he felt relieved.

"Why are you still with him then?" he asked. "I'm gonna tell him today that it's over. So stop stressing about it," Martha said.

"Fine," Jack sighed.

Martha looked up at him. She thought he looked so sexy standing there with no shirt on. She was glad that she had got him back before someone else had came along and realised how great he was.

She smiled and reached a hand out to him. "Stay with me," she spoke softly.

Jack looked at Martha; how could he say no to that face? He slowly moved back towards the bed and took her hand. She pulled him down beside her and impressed a soft kiss on his lips. She moved closer and wrapped her arms around him.

"You're the only one that I want," she said truthfully. Jack nodded. "I know," he told her.

Martha smiled. "Good. Now, instead of just sitting here, why don't we do something a bit more productive," she suggested, running her hands down his back.

"Sounds like a plan," he said, pulling the sheet away from her body so he could caress her. Martha lay back, pulling Jack down on top of her. "It's a very good plan if you ask me," she laughed, before pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

* * *

Martha walked up to the front door of Irene's place; Corey had moved into a spare room that Irene had going just over a week ago. Martha was nervous; the time had come to tell Corey that it was over. She felt bad, but it had to be done.

"Hello," she said knocking at the opened door. Corey was sitting at the table doing nothing. "Martha, hey. Come in," he said.

Martha went and sat at the table opposite him. "Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Irene's upstairs. Not sure about Hayley and Kim," Corey said. Martha noticed that Corey wasn't acting his normal self; he seemed quiet, upset even.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Don't worry about it. I don't want to lay my problems on you," he told her. "No, come on. You can tell me," Martha said.

Corey looked at her. "It's the 2 year anniversary of my father's death today," he spoke softly.

Martha didn't know what to say, she hadn't even known that his father was dead. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realise," she said to him.

"It's okay. Nobody around here knows, I never told anyone," Corey started. "I don't want people feeling sorry for me," he continued.

Talk about bad timing, Martha thought to herself. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't break up with him; well at least not today. It would probably make him feel even worse.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone," Corey said, breaking Martha from her thoughts. "Sure, no problem," Martha said, getting up from her chair and walking towards the door. "Bye," she said.

"Bye," Corey said, not even looking up at her.

I'll just have to wait until he's in a better mood to break it off, Martha thought. Great, how am I supposed to tell Jack?

* * *

Jack was down at the beach when he saw Martha approaching. He smiled at her. "How did it go with Corey?" he asked.

Martha looked away from him. "It didn't," she told him. Jack was shocked. "What do you mean?" he questioned her.

"When I got there, I noticed that he seemed a bit down. I asked him what was wrong, and he told me that today was the anniversary of his dad's death," she began. "I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't want to upset him more than he already was," Martha continued.

"What are we going to do now?" Jack sighed.

"I'll tell him tomorrow. I just hope he's feeling better by then. Until then I guess we'll just have to pretend that nothings going on between us," Martha told him.

As discreetly as he could, Jack reached his hand out to touch hers. He held it for a few seconds; caressing it softly. "I guess I can wait another day," he told her.

Martha smiled at him. "I better go," she said. Jack let go of her hand before anyone they knew noticed.

"Come round tonight," she told him. "Yep," Jack replied. "Bye," Martha said, before walking off.

Of course they didn't notice the person who was standing further up the beach; watching them closely.


	5. Chapter 5

"LUCAS! LUCAS! Wait up," Matilda called out.

Matilda walked quickly across the park until she reached her boyfriend. "Hey," Lucas said, giving Matilda a kiss on the cheek. "What's up?" he asked.

Matilda felt like she was going to burst. She'd seen something earlier that day that she had tried to keep to herself, but she couldn't any longer. So she had decided to tell Lucas.

"I saw something today that I don't think I should have seen," Matilda said. "What are you talking about?" Lucas asked her.

"Well, I was down at the beach just before Lunch, and I saw Jack and Martha down there. They didn't see me though," Matilda started. Lucas looked at her curiously. "Anyways, at first it looked as if they were just talking. But then Jack was holding her hand and they looked pretty friendly if you know what I mean," she continued.

"Are you saying that something is going on between them again?" Lucas asked, shocked. Matilda nodded. "Well it looked that way to me," she replied.

"Now that you mention it, Jack did seem pretty happy earlier today," Lucas exclaimed.

"But as far as I know, Martha is still with Corey. We would have heard if they broke up," Matilda told him.

"You don't think Martha and Jack are seeing each other behind Corey's back, do you?" Lucas asked. Matilda shrugged. "I guess it's a possibility," she said.

Lucas nodded. "Well I think we should just keep this to ourselves. Don't tell anybody," he told her.

"Good idea!" Matilda agreed. "You know, I really do hope Martha and Jack are back together. They made a good couple," Matilda then said.

"Me too! Come on, let's go to the diner and get some dessert," Lucas suggested, taking Matilda's hand and walking off.

* * *

Corey stepped out from behind a tree and watched as Matilda and Lucas walked off. He had accidentally heard the conversation between the two teenagers. He didn't know what to think. Could it be true? He thought. Is Martha cheating on me?

* * *

It was 8:00 pm and Jack made his way up the steps to the apartment that Martha shared with Alf. When he got to the door he looked around, making sure that no-one had seen him, and knocked on the door. Martha answered the door almost immediately, and smiled when she saw that it was Jack.

"Hey," she said, stepping aside and letting him in. Jack closed the door behind him and quickly pulled Martha into his arms.

Martha looked up into his face, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his for a deep lingering kiss. When she was breathless she pulled away.

"You know we shouldn't be doing this, don't you? We should be waiting until you've broken up with Corey," Jack said, walking towards the couch and sitting down.

Martha sighed and sat down next to him. "Yeah, I know. But you gotta admit that the sneaking around is kinda fun," she laughed.

Jack smiled at her. "I guess it is," he said.

Martha sat up a bit and moved herself until she was sitting on Jack's lap. "Kind of a turn-on too, don't you think?" she said cheekily.

Jack laughed. "If you say so," he said.

Martha started playing with the buttons on his shirt, and then slowly started unbuttoning them. Jack just sat back and watched her do it; while twirling a lock of her hair around one of his fingers.

Martha popped open the last button and pushed his shirt open, then ran her hands down his chest. Jack reached a hand out and softly touched her cheek. He then pulled her face closer towards his for a kiss that sent tingles down his spine.

Martha pulled away from the kiss; she smiled and raised her arms above her head. No words needed to be said; Jack knew what to do. He slowly lifted her shirt up and pulled it off, dropping it onto the floor.

Her lips went straight back to his, and she sighed when she felt Jack tracing tiny circles on her back.

Jack then stood up quickly. He wrapped Martha's legs around his waist and slowly carried her off into the direction of her room; their lips not once leaving each other.

* * *

Corey crept quietly but quickly up the stairs. He'd hidden in the shadows and had watched as Jack entered Martha's apartment. He'd been watching the place for about 2 hours now and Jack still had not left. Sounds as if Matilda and Lucas were right, Corey thought. Martha's seeing Jack behind my back.

Corey reached into his pocket and pulled out the key that he had secretly gotten cut. He quietly unlocked the door and walked in; not making a sound. The room was pitch black dark and he could barely see in front of him. He tip-toed towards the hall and started walking towards the bedroom door that he was pretty sure belonged to Martha.

I bet the little tart is in there with him right now, Corey thought to himself.

Just as he reached the door he heard the noise that confirmed his suspicions. He could hear Martha laughing, but it was what he heard next that made him see red. He heard her moan, and she was moaning Jack's name.

Corey quietly turned and walked back out to the lounge room, and out the door; closing and locking it quietly behind him.

That little bitch, Corey thought. If Martha MacKenzie thinks she can make a fool out of me, she can think again. She's gonna pay. She and her precious lover boy aren't going to know what hit them.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the next morning and Jack and Martha lay entwined in each others arms, basking in their body heat. Martha let out a happy sigh; she felt calm and content. As much as she loved the sex that they shared; she also loved the tender aftermath. She loved the closeness that they shared after the sex. The way they just lay in each others arms and enjoyed being together.

"I should probably go soon," Jack said, running his hand up and down her bare back, before burying his hand in her hair.

Martha didn't want him to go; she wanted to lay there with him all day. She propped herself up on her elbows so she could look down on his face. "Not yet. Just a bit longer," she told him, giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

Jack nodded. "Okay. But only 10 minutes," he said.

Martha smiled and rested her cheek back on his chest. She ran her hand down his bicep and arm, clasping his hand in her own.

* * *

About an hour later they finally pulled themselves out of bed. "So much for 10 minutes," Jack laughed, as Martha walked him to the door to say goodbye.

"It was nice just lying there together," Martha said.

Jack smiled and nodded; pulling her in for a tight hug. He then cupped her face in his hands and pulled her closer to him for a kiss. Martha tried to deepen the kiss, but Jack pulled away from her.

"No. No more of that. I really have to go. I start work in an hour, and the boss is my new partner for the time being and I don't want to be late," he said, as he opened the door.

"Fine," Martha pouted.

"Ok, one more kiss," Jack laughed, pulling her back to him.

"Oh my god," a female voice interrupted them. Martha quickly pulled away form Jack. Standing there looking shocked was Tasha and Robbie. Just great! Martha thought sarcastically.

"What's going on guys?" Robbie asked curiously.

Martha and Jack looked at each other; not knowing what to say to the friends. Martha was the first to speak. "Um, Jack was just leaving. Weren't you?" she said.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you all later," he said, before rushing off down the stairs.

Martha walked back inside, ignoring the looks that Rob and Tasha were giving her. "Don't even bother," she told them, as she sat down on the couch.

Tasha sat next to her. "Mac, have you broken up with Corey yet?" she demanded. Martha looked at her hands; saying nothing.

Robbie laughed. "You naughty girl," he teased. Tasha smacked him on the arm. "Stop it. It's not funny," she reprimanded him.

She then looked back at Martha. "What are you thinking? Are you crazy?" Tasha asked.

"I couldn't help it," Martha told her.

"But you shouldn't have done it. You're still with Corey," Tasha scolded her.

"But I love Jack," Martha told her.

Tasha sighed. "Yes, I know that. And I think it's great that you and Jack want to get back together. But how do you think Corey will feel when he finds out that you were seeing Jack behind his back?" she asked.

Martha groaned. "Corey doesn't have to find out. I want you both to promise me that you won't say anything. Please," she begged.

Robbie nodded. "I won't say anything," he promised. Martha looked at Tasha. "Tash?" she said. "I won't say anything. But you have to tell Corey it's over. Today," Tasha urged.

Martha stood up. "Don't worry, I will," she said.

"Good," Tasha started. "Now go and have a shower so you can come down and have breakfast with us at the diner," she continued.

Martha nodded and walked off towards the bathroom.

* * *

Later that afternoon Martha had finally gotten the courage to go and see Corey. She knew that he had the day off, because he and Jack had stopped being partners. And that meant that they worked different shifts now.

Martha walked up the driveway to Irene's place, thinking about what she was going to say. She was just going to tell him that she had stepped into the relationship too quick and that she hadn't gotten over her feelings for Jack. She was sure that Corey would understand.

Just as she got to the door Irene came rushing out; nearly knocking her over. "Wow, sorry Love. I'm late for my shift and I'm in a bit of a rush," Irene explained. Martha smiled at her. "No worries. Have fun," she called as Irene jumped into her car. Irene waved as she drove off.

Martha turned around to walk inside, but instead crashed into Corey. It surprised her so much that she let out a loud gasp. "Oh my god. You scared the living daylights out of me," she said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Corey said, pulling her into a tight hug. Martha cringed when Corey kissed her on the cheek.

Martha pulled away and laughed. "It's okay," she said. "I'm sure you didn't mean it," she continued.

Corey led Martha inside and they sat at the table. "Where's Kim and Hayley?" she asked. Corey shrugged. "I think they are out looking at wedding venues or something. They won't be home until late," he said.

Martha smiled. "Cool. So are you feeling a bit better than you did yesterday?" she questioned him.

Corey gave her a big smile. "Yes, I feel much better. Thank you for asking me. You are so thoughtful," he said in a quite cheerful voice. "So would you like a coffee," he then asked.

Martha smiled at him. "Thanks, I'd love one," she replied.

Corey jumped up and walked into the kitchen. He picked up the cordless jug and started filling it with water.

Martha stood up. He seems to be in quite a good mood, she thought. Maybe he'll be okay with us just being friends.

"Corey, there is actually a reason I came to see you," she started. Corey peeked his head out from the kitchen and smiled at her. "What is it?" he asked.

"Well, it's kind of hard to say. And I really don't know how to say it, but………….," Martha started, but Corey interrupted her.

"Maybe I could help you out with it……," he said to her.

Martha looked at him. "I doubt you'd be able to help me out with it," she told him.

Corey started walking towards her, with the cordless kettle still in his hands. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," he said.

Martha was confused. "What?" she said.

Corey laughed. "This is about Jack isn't it?" he asked.

Martha then noticed the look on Corey's face. It scared her; he looked evil. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"No, I'm not okay. My girlfriend is sleeping around on me. How do you expect me to feel?" he yelled, walking even closer to her.

Martha took a step back. "What…," she stammered. Corey laughed at her. "Oh, don't play all innocent with me. I know all about you and Saint Jack; I'm not stupid," he spat at her.

Corey took another step towards her so Martha took another step back. Martha was totally freaking out. Corey was really starting to scare her. "Maybe we should talk about this when you've calmed down a bit," Martha suggested.

"You're right," Corey said, seeming to calm down.

Martha felt herself relax a bit. "Look, I'm really sorry Corey," she started. "Just leave. We'll talk about this when I'm ready," Corey snapped at her.

Martha nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later," she spoke softly. She then turned and walked towards the door. But she was stopped by Corey's voice.

"I'm ready now," he said.

"What?" Martha spun around to face him.

But all she saw was Corey's arm with Irene's bright yellow kettle flying at her face. The force of it against her head sent her flying to the ground.

The last thing she saw before darkness engulfed her was Corey's face.


	7. Chapter 7

Corey looked down at Martha, who was lying unconscious on the floor. She had a deep gash on the side of her fore-head; which had blood dripping from it.

"Sorry about that," Corey laughed out loud.

He moved away from Martha and walked back into the kitchen; grabbing a tissue and wiping away the smear of blood that was on the kettle. He placed the kettle back in its rightful spot and walked back over to Martha.

He looked down at her and sighed. "Just because you're beautiful, doesn't mean that you can do and get everything you want," he started. "You asked for this. You've only got what you deserved," he continued.

He then started laughing. "Why the hell am I talking to you? It's not like you can hear me. I probably sound like a crazy person," he said.

Corey then noticed the puddle of blood that was quickly seeping into the carpet. "Damn it," he swore. How am I supposed to get rid of that? He thought to himself.

He bent over and grabbed hold of Martha's arms and started dragging her towards the couch. He lifted her up and roughly placed her on it. As soon as he let go, she slumped to the side like a rag doll.

Corey instantly wished that he hadn't put her on the couch, because now she was bleeding all over that.

"I've got to get out of here before someone gets home," he said out loud. "Ready for a road trip princess?" he asked Martha, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

He then ran to the back door and locked it; doing the same with the front door. He then closed all the curtains, so to stop anyone seeing in and noticing Martha. He then rushed up the stairs to his room so he could pack a bag.

* * *

Unbeknown to Corey, Irene had just arrived back at the house. She'd forgotten her mobile phone, and she'd decided to come back to get it. She walked up to the front door and tried to go in, but the door was locked.

She wondered why everything was locked up. Both Corey and Martha's car were still there; unless they'd gone for a walk. They must have left quickly; I haven't been gone that long, she thought.

Irene rummaged around in her bag and got her house keys out. She unlocked the door and walked in. The first thing she noticed was some sort of dark red liquid on the carpet.

She bent down to touch it; it was still a bit warm and a little sticky. Irene knew straight away what it was. Blood.

"Gawd save us, what has happened here?" she said out loud. "Corey, are you home?" she yelled up the stairs. No answer.

She turned around and that's when she noticed the hand hanging over the side of the couch. She rushed around the front of the couch and let out a small cry when she found Martha lying unconscious with a deep cut on her head.

"Oh my god, Martha," she cried. Irene reached out and shook her. "Darl, wake up," she said. But Martha was out cold.

"Get away from her," a voice snarled.

Irene looked up and saw Corey standing at the bottom of the stairs with a backpack in his hands.

"Corey, what's going on? Did you do this to Martha?" Irene asked him. She suddenly felt really uncomfortable.

"I said get away from her," Corey repeated, pulling out a gun from his bag and pointing it at Irene.

"Whoa, Corey. Please put the gun away," Irene pleaded.

Corey started walking towards her and Irene was starting to get really frightened.

"For the last time, move away from Martha. Or I will be forced to hurt you too," Corey snapped at her.

Irene slowly moved away from Martha. "My god Corey. What have you done?" she asked.

"She only got what she deserved," Corey told her calmly.

"We really need to get her to the hospital. The cut looks pretty bad," Irene tried to persuade him.

"Just shut up," he yelled. "Just shut up and sit down in that chair," he said waving the gun at her. Irene immediately sat down.

So many thoughts were going through Corey's mind. He had not only Martha to worry about; but now he also had Irene to deal with. He knew he should have thought this through a bit more. But he got so angry with Martha before, that he just couldn't help hurting her.

Corey then heard a groan coming from Martha.

"I think she's waking up," Irene said, standing up and moving closer to Martha.

Just great, Corey thought. He hadn't planned on Martha waking up so soon. This may be a bit harder than I thought.


	8. Chapter 8

When Martha awoke she could feel a sharp throbbing pain in her head. She let out a small cry and opened her eyes. Her vision was a bit blurry at first, but she could make out Irene's face. She was looking down at her with a worried look on her face.

"Irene," she groaned.

"Yes love, it's me. I'm here," Irene told her, holding her hand.

Martha put her other hand up to her head and winced when it came in contact with her wound. She quickly pulled her hand away and gasped when she saw it covered in blood.

"Oh my god. What happened?" she asked, panicking and trying to sit up.

But then Martha spotted Corey standing a few feet away and she remembered everything. He had smashed her in the face with the kettle.

She moved closer to Irene; who put an arm around her. "Get away from me you crazy bast…," she started, but Corey cut her off.

"Shut up," he yelled at her. That's when she noticed the gun in his hands.

"Just do what he say's," Irene told her. Martha looked at Irene, who also looked quite frightened. "If we do as he say's, hopefully he won't hurt us," Irene continued.

Martha looked back at Corey. "Why are you doing this?" she cried.

He laughed at her. "Why?" he started. "There's a name for girls like you. Girls who cheat on their boyfriends. Girls who can't keep their legs shut," he continued. Martha looked at him shocked.

"Don't speak to her like that," Irene snapped at him.

"Why not? It's true," Corey said.

"Can you just let us go? Please," Martha asked him.

Corey shook his head. "I don't think so," he glared at her. "You actually think I would let you go, just so you can run straight to your precious lover-boy," he laughed.

Martha's head was really starting to hurt. The pain was so bad that it was making her feel sick. And the fact that she had blood dripping down her face, made her want to vomit.

"I really need to go to the hospital," she pleaded with Corey.

"Yeah. Well I really need for you to shut up. I can't think straight with you yapping all the time," he yelled at her and walked off to the kitchen.

Martha looked towards Irene, who was looking at her with concern. "How are you feeling, Darl?" Irene asked her.

Martha laid her head back onto the soft couch and closed her eyes. "I don't feel that great," she started. "And I feel like I've just been smashed in the head with a kettle," she tried to joke.

Irene gasped. "Is that what he hit you with?" she asked. Martha looked at Irene and nodded. "Yep".

"What was it exactly that made him lash out like that?" Irene questioned.

Martha sighed. "I decided the other night that I still wanted to be with Jack. And on Friday night Jack came around to drop some of my stuff off that had been left at his place, and I told him that I still wanted to be with him. Things got a little out of hand and we…," she started to explain.

"Well, I think you can guess what we did," she continued.

Irene nodded. "You slept with Jack before you got the chance to break up with Corey," Irene stated.

Martha nodded. "And then I came around here before to break it off with Corey, but somehow he had already found out about me and Jack. He got really angry and before I knew it, a kettle was flying at my head," she told Irene.

"What I don't understand is why he would do something like this. I mean he's a cop for gawd's sake. He's supposed to help people, not hurt them himself," Irene whispered.

"He's crazy. That's all I have to say," Martha whispered back.

"Don't worry, I agree with you on that," Irene said.

They both looked over at Corey. He was in the kitchen pacing back and forth. "What do you think he's going to do with us?" Martha asked Irene.

Irene shrugged. "I don't know. But we've got to find a way to get some help. And you really need to get that cut looked at," Irene replied.

Irene then spotted a box of tissues sitting on the coffee table. She slowly reached over and grabbed them. She used them to wipe away the blood from Martha's face and to clean up the wound a bit.

"I'm sorry about bleeding all over your couch and floor," Martha apologised.

"It's not you fault love," Irene told her, pulling her into a tight hug.

Martha started sobbing. "Hey, it's okay Martha. We are going to be fine," Irene comforted her.

"God, where's Jack when you need him," Martha spoke softly.

* * *

Jack walked into the diner. He was on a break, so he decided to go for a coffee. He also hoped that maybe he would run into Martha there.

"Hey Colleen," he said as he walked up to the counter.

"Hello Constable, what can I get you?" she asked, with a big smile on her face.

"Just a coffee thanks," he replied. "You go and sit down and I'll bring it over to you when it's ready," Colleen told him. "Thanks," he smiled at her.

Jack then noticed Alf and Ric sitting at a table. He walked over to them. "Hey fella's," he said.

Alf and Ric looked up at him. "Oh, hey Jack. Sit down mate," Alf offered.

Jack smiled at him. "Thanks. So when did you two get back from your trip?" he asked.

"Only about half and hour ago. Who told you we went away?" Alf questioned him.

"Oh, Martha mentioned it to me," Jack said, not noticing the weird looks on Alf's and Ric's faces.

"I thought you and Martha were fighting," Ric said.

Jack smiled. "Not anymore," he told them. Jack guessed it would be okay to tell them that he and Martha were back together.

"What does that mean?" Alf asked, curious.

Jack was just about to explain when they heard someone yelling.

"Where on earth is Irene?" Leah yelled.

Alf looked over at Leah. "What's wrong love?" he asked her.

"Irene was supposed to start her shift an hour ago, and she's still not here," Leah explained.

Alf stood up. "Well I'm just about too head over to her place now. I've got some fish for her," Alf started. "When I see her I'll tell her to get her butt moving," he continued.

Leah sighed. "Thanks Alf," she said.

"See you all later," Alf called, as he walked out the door.

"So what was you saying about you and Martha before?" Ric asked.

Jack looked back at Ric and smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

Martha and Irene sat on the couch in silence. Every now and then Martha would let out a sob or a groan; the pain in her head was just about killing her. She looked over at Corey, who had just sat in the chair opposite them.

"Can I at least get an Advil for the pain in my head?" she asked him.

Corey's answer was simple. "No," he said. "You deserve to be in pain," he continued.

Martha was just about to speak again, but was interrupted by the sound of Irene's house phone ringing. "Ignore it," Corey said.

Just as the ringing stopped, Corey stood up. "How could I forget? Give me your phones, now," he said, towering over them.

Irene had already looked around the room for her phone, but she couldn't see it anywhere. She had come back to the house specifically to get her phone. She knew it was around there somewhere; she just didn't know where. So she lied. "Mine's in my car," she told Corey.

He believed her. Corey looked at Martha. "Hand it over sweetie," he said.

"It's in my bag," she told him.

Corey snatched her bag up from the place that Martha had dropped it earlier. He opened it and took out the phone. "No more calls for you," he said, switching the phone off.

Corey sat back down on the chair. He looked at the two women in front of him. "Now, what to do with you both," he began. "So many possibilities," he stated.

He went to speak again but stopped when there was a knock on the door. He raised his finger up to his lips. "Ssshhhhhhhhh, not a single word," he whispered to them.

"Hello. Irene are you home?" a voice came from the other side of the door.

Martha recognised the voice straight away. It was her grandad. She went to stand up but Corey pushed her back down. "Say a word, and I'll use this on him," he said, indicating to his gun.

Martha didn't dare open her mouth. There was no way she was putting her grandad in danger.

Corey figured that the best way to get the old man to rack off was to just open the door. "I'll be there in just a second," he called out.

Corey indicated for Martha and Irene to move into Hayley's room. "I want you both to shut up, and I swear if any of you make a noise; I'll be forced to hurt him," he told them. Both girls nodded their agreement.

Corey walked to the front door, unlocked it and opened it; revealing the smiling face of Alf Stewart. "Alf, sorry mate, I was just in the bathroom," he put on a cheerful voice. Corey didn't invite Alf in; they just stood at the door.

"That's alright. I just wanted to drop some fish off for Irene. And to tell her to get her butt moving. Leah's having a fit because Irene's running late for her shift," Alf explained.

"Oh, well Irene's just gone for a walk with Martha down to the beach," Corey told Alf.

"Well that explains why Martha's car is here," Alf started. "Ok, well I'll just leave the fish with you, and when you see Irene, tell her to hurry up," he chuckled, while handing a bag to Corey.

"Thanks Alf," Corey waved goodbye to him. He then quickly closed the door; making sure to lock it.

"You can come out now," he called out.

* * *

Martha sat back on the couch. She let a tear roll down her face. Her grandad had been so close, but now he was gone again.

Martha didn't understand why Corey was so upset about all this. She understood that she had hurt his feelings by cheating on him, but they had only been together for just over a week. His feelings for her can't have been that strong already.

"Why has this affected you so much? And why do you think I have to be punished?" Martha asked Corey.

"We were in a relationship and you betrayed me," he snapped, not even looking at her.

"Yeah okay, so I made a mistake. And I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but that doesn't mean that you have to hurt me," Martha cried.

Corey laughed. "That's exactly what my mother said," he told her.

"What do you mean?" Martha asked, an uncomfortable feeling suddenly washed over her.

Corey stood up from his chair and started pacing around the room. "She had to punished, she betrayed us," he said out loud. "She tried to pull the wool over our eyes; just like you did," he continued, looking straight at Martha.

"Corey, what are you talking about?" Irene questioned him.

"You should have seen the look on her face when I confronted her about it," he sneered. "She tried to deny it, but I had the proof. She kept saying that it was a mistake and that she was sorry," he continued.

"Your mother cheated on your father?" Irene asked; it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. And you know what my father did when he found out," Corey snarled. "He killed himself. He felt so betrayed that he couldn't go on with his life," he kept on.

"We are really sorry about your dad, but that doesn't mean that you have to hurt Martha," Irene told him.

Corey ignored her and kept on talking. "He was my best friend, the only person I trusted. And it was all her fault that he was gone. I hated her for what she done and she had to punished," he rambled on.

Martha looked at Irene. "I don't like where this is heading," she whispered to Irene.

Corey sat back in his chair and smiled at them. "She didn't see it coming. Of course I made it look like an accident," he told them.

Martha gasped. "You killed your own mother?" she cried.

"Yep. One knock to the head and a fall down the stairs did the trick," he spoke calmly. "Nobody ever suspected the grieving son," he said, sounding very proud of himself.

Irene was shaking. She couldn't believe that this boy had just admitted to killing his own Mother. If he was capable of doing that; it scared her to think of what he might do to them.

Martha looked at Corey in shock and disgust. "You're sick, you know that," she cried. "You killed your mother. That's so much worse than what I've done," she said to him.

Corey shrugged. "Whatever," he said. "Now, let's get back on focus. What am I going to do with you?"


	10. Chapter 10

Corey didn't know what to do. He hadn't planned on all this getting so out of hand. And now he'd just blurted out that he'd killed his mother. He regretted telling them as soon as it had left his mouth. If anyone else found out, he'd be a goner.

He really only had two options. He could either get rid of both Martha and Irene or just do a runner. But whatever he chose, he needed to think it through properly first. And fast.

He sat at the kitchen bench, looking at a picture of him and his father together. What should I do dad? He thought to himself. I can't let Martha get away with what she did!

* * *

"My head is killing me," Martha told Irene. She held a tissue over her wound; it was still bleeding quite a bit.

"Just hang in there, okay. We are going to be fine, and I'm sure someone will help us soon," Irene tried to reassure her.

Martha sighed. "How? Nobody knows we're here with a complete nutcase," she cried.

Irene didn't say anything; she knew Martha was right. Nobody knew they were in danger.

Martha's thoughts drifted to Jack. She wanted to see him so bad. She wanted him to hold her and make everything better. She didn't know if that was ever going to happen though. She'd probably never see him again. Corey was a psycho and was probably going to make sure that her and Jack could never be together. Corey killed his own mother; what's not to say he wouldn't kill her aswell.

Martha started sobbing again. "I'm never going to see Jack again," she started to say to Irene. "I never got the chance to tell him that I love him," she continued, starting to get quite upset.

"I'm sure Jack knows how you feel. And besides, you can tell him when we get out of here," Irene said, comforting her.

"Corey's not going to let me go Irene. He's crazy. He killed his own mother, and he's probably going to kill me too," Martha whispered loudly.

Irene leaned back onto the couch. "He's not going to kill you Martha. Someone's going to come along and help us soon, and Corey is going to go to jail for a very long time," Irene whispered back to her, reaching a hand out a brushing a lock of her hair away from Martha's weeping cut.

"I'm so glad that I'm not by myself. Although I feel really bad about getting you into this mess in the first place," Martha told her.

Irene patted Martha's hand. "Darl, it's not your fault, okay. Yes, you may have made a bit of a mistake, but Corey obviously has some serious mental issues. And you can't blame yourself for that," she said.

Martha smiled at Irene. "Thanks," she said.

Irene started shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Something's digging into me," she said. Irene reached a hand underneath her and pulled out the object that was sticking into her.

Martha let out a small gasp when she saw what it was; Irene's mobile phone.

"Oh my god," Martha whispered.

* * *

Alf walked back into the diner. Jack was standing at the counter talking to Ric, Colleen and Leah.

"Alf, did you see Irene?" Leah asked.

Alf shook his head. "No, but I saw Corey and he said that Irene had just gone for a walk with Martha," he replied. "But I told him to tell Irene to hurry up when he sees her," Alf kept on.

Leah sighed. "Well, I hope she hurries up, because Dan and I have plans," she said, walking back to the kitchen with Colleen in tow.

"How was Corey when you spoke to him?" Jack asked Alf. Jack wondered if Corey was upset about Martha at all.

"What do you mean?" Alf asked, seeming a bit curious.

Jack shook his head. "Ah, no reason. Was just wondering," he said with a slight smile on his face.

"Yeah right," Ric scoffed, knowing full well why Jack asked.

Jack had just finished telling Ric that he and Martha were back together. He was happy for them. Ric and Jack had become pretty good mates, and Ric got on a lot better with Jack than he did with Corey.

"Well now that you mention it, Corey did seem a bit distracted," Alf began. "The house was dark and locked up like Fort Knox. He didn't even invite me in. It kind of felt like he wanted me to hurry up and leave," he finished.

"I wonder why?" Ric said sarcastically, giving Jack a smug look.

"Shut up mate," Jack laughed. "Anyways, I gotta go. My break is nearly over," he said, waving goodbye as he walked out the door.

"Seeya," Alf and Ric both called out.

Once Jack had left, Alf looked at Ric. "What's going on mate? It seems like you and Jack know something I don't," he asked his grand son.

Ric guessed it would be okay to tell his grandad about Martha and Jack. "Martha broke up with Corey today. She and Jack are back together," he told him.

Alf smiled. "I knew it would only be a matter of time before those two realised that they still had feelings for each other," he said. "God on 'em. Jack's a good bloke," he continued.

Ric nodded. "Yeah, I agree. But I think Jack was just wondering how Corey took it," he said.

"Hmm, I guess we'll soon find out," Alf replied.


	11. Chapter 11

Martha looked down at the phone in Irene's hand. Many thoughts were going through her head; call the police or even Jack.

Irene started smiling. "I told you everything would be okay," she whispered.

"You should put the ring tone on silent, just in case someone tries to ring and Corey hears it," Martha told her.

Irene nodded. "Good thinking. You know, I'm surprised no-one has already tried to ring me," she said pressing a few buttons and setting the phone to silent.

Out of the corner of her eye Martha noticed Corey getting up from his chair at the kitchen bench. She started panicking.

"Quick, put it away. He's coming," she hissed.

Irene quickly shoved the phone down under the cushions and sat back trying to act like nothing had just gone on. Corey walked over towards them and sat down in a chair opposite them.

"Having fun?" he sneered, looking at Martha.

"Tons," Martha said sarcastically, trying not to show him that she was frightened.

The way that he was looking at her made her skin crawl. But she was determined not to let him know that he was getting to her.

"Look Corey, people are going to come looking for us soon. So why don't you just let us go," Irene said.

"I'm going to say this one more time. No, I will not let you go. Do you understand what I am saying?" Corey snapped at them.

"Jack will be finishing his shift soon. And he's going to wonder why I'm not home or answering my phone, and he's going to come looking for me," Martha told him.

Corey jumped up and strode over to Martha. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up so that they were face to face.

"Don't you ever say his name around me again," he growled at her, squeezing and digging his fingers into her arm tightly. She knew it was going to leave a bruise. He then roughly pushed her back down into her chair.

"Why? You jealous?" was Martha's automatic response. She instantly regretted saying it, but she couldn't help it. She knew it would piss him off.

And before she knew what was happening, Corey was swinging his open palm towards her face. Martha's face snapped to the side when his hand connected to her cheek. The sharp slapping sound echoed through the house.

Irene gasped. "Oh my god," she cried.

Martha immediately raised her hand to her stinging cheek and looked up at him, shocked.

"Got anything else to say?" he asked with a smug look on his face. Martha shook her head.

"Good girl," he said and walked back over to the kitchen bench.

"Darl, are you okay?" Irene asked and ran her hand over Martha's cheek, trying to soothe it.

"Yeah, but it still hurt like hell," Martha replied.

Irene nodded. "I can tell," she started. "You already have a red handprint coming up. And the skin around your cut is starting to bruise aswell. I just wish we could get you to hospital; I don't want it to get infected," she continued.

"I think it's safe to say that he likes hitting me," Martha sighed, rubbing her cheek. She looked over at Corey; he gave her a sly smile and then looked away and started looking at some photo again.

"It probably makes him feel powerful," Irene told her.

"Yeah, I guess. But let's forget about me for a second, let's get back to the important stuff," Martha began. "You should go the bathroom and use the phone to call the cops," she told Irene. She nodded her agreement.

Irene reached her hand under the pillow and grabbed the phone; putting it into her pocket.

"Corey, may I go the bathroom please," Irene called across the room.

Corey snapped his gaze onto Irene. "Fine, but make it quick. We'll be leaving soon," he said.

Irene stood up. "Where are we going?" she urged. "It's a surprise," he told her.

Martha looked at Irene, panic written on her face. "It's okay," Irene mouthed to Martha.

Irene slowly made her way to the bathroom; keeping an eye on Corey who was still sitting in his seat, but was giving Martha evil looks. Irene didn't like the idea of leaving Martha alone with Corey, even if it was only for a few minutes. Irene walked into the bathroom and slowly closed the door behind her.

* * *

Jack sat at his desk, going over some paper work. His boss still hadn't completely forgiven him for the whole ear lie yet; so he still occasionally made him do the boring stuff.

Jack kind of liked this quiet time though. It gave him time to think about Martha and their reconciliation. He was so happy that she had decided to give him another chance. There was no way he was stuffing up again.

Jack had already planned a romantic dinner for the next night. He'd found out that his dad and brother were going to Yabbie Creek for a late night movie with Beth and Matilda; so he and Martha would have the house to themselves.

He was also wondering how Martha's talk with Corey went. He wanted to know how Corey had reacted. He'd tried to call Martha, but her phone was off.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. He stood up to go and answer it but stopped when he saw Sgt McGrath standing there already picking up the phone. Jack sat back down, but quickly looked up when his boss started to raise his voice.

"I'm sorry I can't hear you. Can you speak up," McGrath said. There was a women on the other end of the phone and she was whispering, so he couldn't hear that well.

"Did you just say Irene Roberts?" McGrath asked.

When Jack heard his boss mention Irene's name, he stood up immediately.

* * *

"Yes, this is Irene Roberts. I'm being held hostage at my home by…," Irene started, but was cut off by a banging on the door.

"What the hell are you doing in there?" Corey's voice rang out. It startled her so much that she dropped the phone. She quickly snatched it up from the floor, but was devastated when she found that the phone would no longer work.

Damn it, she thought to herself. She just hoped that the officer that she spoke to had heard everything she said.


	12. Chapter 12

"Hello! Hello! Ms Roberts, are you still there?" McGrath yelled into the phone.

Jack watched as his boss slammed down the phone and moved towards the door. "Holden, let's go," McGrath said.

Jack wondered what was going on. "Was that Irene? What's wrong?" he asked, as they ran to the police car.

"Yes, it was Irene. I couldn't hear very well, but it sounded like she said she was being held against her will at her home," McGrath started. "Then I heard a man's voice yelling and then the phone went dead. There was something about the man's voice, but I just can't figure it out," he continued.

"Oh my god," Jack said. He was worried for Irene's safety.

"I hope Irene's okay," he told his boss.

* * *

Martha watched as Irene slowly made her way back towards the couch.

"What were you doing in there?" Corey demanded.

"I wasn't feeling well. Blood makes me queasy," Irene lied.

"Fine," Corey huffed. He then walked into the kitchen and started removing food from the cupboards and placing them into plastic bags.

"What are you doing?" Irene asked.

"Just packing some food for our trip. Speaking of, were leaving in like two minutes," he said, and continued packing more food.

Martha looked at Irene. "Did you call them?" she whispered.

Irene nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know if they heard me or not. I got a fright and dropped the phone, and then it wouldn't work," she whispered back.

Martha went to speak back but was interrupted by Corey.

"Come on, let's go. Here, take this," he said, thrusting the bags at Irene so she could carry them.

"Come on Corey. You're making a mistake. Just let us go," Irene begged.

"Shut up, and just do as I say," he yelled at her.

He looked at Martha who was still sitting on the couch. He then scruffed her by the arm and pulled her up. "Do you need a hearing aid? I said let's go," he snarled at her.

Martha started crying as Corey dragged her to door. "Please Corey, don't do this. Let us go, it's the right thing to do," she cried.

Corey ignored her and slowly opened the front door and took a look around to check if anyone was passing by.

"Now, I want you both to listen carefully. You will both stay behind me and follow me towards the car. And if any of you do anything stupid to attract attention, I won't hesitate in hurting you. Remember, I have a gun. Got it?" Corey said.

Martha and Irene both nodded their heads in agreement. "Good, now let's go," he said and pulled Martha out the door behind him, with Irene close behind them.

It was only then did Corey notice the police driving down the road towards Irene's house.

"Get back inside now," he yelled and started pushing them back inside the door.

Corey slammed the door and locked it behind him. He looked through the crack in the curtain and watched as they pulled into the driveway.

* * *

The first thing Jack noticed was Martha's car in Irene's driveway. He started panicking. If Martha's car was still there, then that meant she still was.

"Martha's here," he yelled at his boss.

"What?" McGrath asked.

"That's Martha's car. She was here earlier, and probably still is," he said, as he pulled up into the driveway.

"Corey's car is here too! If someone is holding them against there will, at least he's there to protect them," McGrath said, as he stepped out of the car.

"I have to get Martha out of there," Jack said as he started running towards the house. McGrath grabbed him before he got any further.

"You can't just go running in there Jack. You could make it even worse. We need to find out what the situation is first," McGrath scolded him. "For all we know, this could all just be a big misunderstanding," he continued.

Jack knew his boss was right. But that didn't stop him from worrying about Martha. If anyone laid a hand on her; he'd kill them.

* * *

"This was not supposed to happen. They were not supposed to come here," Corey said, as he peeked through the curtains. "How did they know to come here?" he continued.

"How are we supposed to know?" Irene told him.

Irene looked at Martha; who was back on the couch and resting her head down on a pillow. She didn't look too good. She was starting to look really pale, except for the gash and the dark purple bruise that was starting to appear on her fore-head. And not to mention the hand print from Corey's latest slap. Irene was concerned for Martha's health.

"Corey, Martha doesn't look to good. She really need's to get to the hospital," Irene once again tried to reason with him.

"I don't have time to worry about her right now. Come here," Corey beckoned to Irene. Irene moved slowly towards him. "What do you want?" she asked.

"I want you to open the door slowly. Then I want you tell them that I have a gun and that I will use it if they come any closer to the house. Do not make any attempt to run and you will not tell them about me, do you understand?" Corey asked.

Irene nodded. She stepped towards the door, unlocked it and slowly opened it.

* * *

Jack was looking towards the house when he noticed the front door opening.

"Boss, someone's coming out," Jack said.

McGrath and Jack watched as Irene stepped into view. She stood in the doorway and made no attempt to come out any farther.

"Irene, are you okay?" McGrath called out.

Irene nodded. "Yes, but he has a gun and he said if you come any closer he will hurt us," she yelled out to them.

"Irene, is Martha with you?" Jack called. But before Irene could answer, she was pulled back inside and the door was slammed.

"Damn it," he swore. Martha was in there with some crazy and he couldn't do anything about it.

"I'm going to call for back-up," McGrath told Jack.

Jack just nodded. He felt sick, just the thought of her being in there scared him. He just hoped that she was okay.

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

* * *

Martha and Irene watched as Corey paced back and forth in front of the door. "This was not supposed to happen! This was not supposed to happen," he kept muttering over and over.

"He's really starting to freak me out," Martha said to Irene.

Irene agreed. "Yeah, he keeps talking to himself. His mental state is worrying me," she said.

Martha was scared. Before, it seemed like Corey was just an angry person who got a little too angry and killed his mother. But the more she watched him, the more she thought that he was actually crazy. That he did actually have some sort of psychiatric problem. He really did need some help.

But that didn't mean she felt sorry for him. He had tried to kill her and she could never forgive him for that.

"What's taking them so long?" Martha said. It had been half an hour since Jack and McGrath had arrived, and they had heard nothing more.

"We just need to be patient. I'm sure they need to make a plan of some sorts," Irene started. "You heard what Corey said. He'll hurt us if they come any closer, and the cops won't risk us getting hurt," she kept on.

"Hurt me? He's already done that," Martha scoffed.

Irene sighed. "How are you feeling? How's the pain?" she asked.

"It hurts like hell and I feel like crap," Martha said. "And I feel so tired. I just want to lye down and go to sleep," she continued. She knew if she could just go to sleep, the pain would go away.

"I know, but you can't go to sleep. If you have a concussion, which I'm pretty sure you do, you probably shouldn't go to sleep. You know what the Doc's say about that sort of thing," Irene reminded her.

Martha smiled at Irene. "Don't let me go to sleep," she said.

Irene gave Martha a tight hug. "Don't worry, I'll look after you," she promised

"I actually feel a bit safer knowing that Jack's out there," Martha told Irene.

"Something tells me that Jack is going to throttle Corey when he gets his hands on him. Especially when he finds out that Corey hit you. Twice," Irene began. "And not to mention Alf; that man's a machine when he wants to be, he'll ring his neck," she finished.

Martha let out a small laugh at Irene's reference to her grandfather, but then got serious again.

"They don't even know that Corey is the one keeping us here. How are we supposed to let them know that it's him?" Martha asked.

Irene shrugged. "I don't know love, but I'm sure we'll figure out something".

* * *

Jack sat on the grass with his head in his hands. Every few seconds he'd look towards the house, hoping to see some sort of movement.

He was worrying himself sick; he kept thinking about the creep, whoever he was, inside with Martha. Was he touching her? Was he hurting her?

He just wished he could see her and make sure that she was okay.

Jack looked over at his workmates; they were standing in a group going over some plans and trying to figure out what to do. Jack felt so helpless; he should be over there helping them. But McGrath had made him step down. He knew about Jack's feelings towards Martha; so he didn't think Jack should be involved.

McGrath even had the nerve to tell him to go back to the station or home. Jack had basically told him to get stuffed. He wasn't going anywhere; he needed to be there for Martha.

Jack stood up quickly when he heard the screeching of some tyres coming around the corner. It was Alf. Jack had called him a few minutes earlier and told him about the situation. Jack couldn't count the amount of expletive words that had come from the old man's mouth. All he knew was that there were a lot and that Alf wasn't very happy.

* * *

Alf pulled up practically in the middle of the road. He didn't care that he would probably be blocking the way for other cars to get through. He was out of the car in record time and was running towards the police with Ric a few paces ahead of him.

He strode up to Sgt McGrath. "What the flaming hell is going on? Where is my granddaughter?" he demanded.

Ric wanted to put in his five cents worth aswell. "Martha's in there with some lunatic and you're all sitting around doing nothing," he spat out.

McGrath sighed. "Please just calm down. We've got people working on the situation right at this minute," he started. "We are doing the best we can".

"Who is the flamin mongrel? Wait till I get my hands on him," Alf threatened.

"Unfortunately, we don't know who he is yet. But we are hoping to find out soon," McGrath tried to reassure him.

"I want my granddaughter out of there in one piece, you hear me? Same goes for Irene," Alf said as McGrath walked back over to his men.

* * *

Jack waited until McGrath walked off before he approached Alf and Ric.

"Hey," he said when he reached them.

"Why aren't you over there helping them?" Alf asked.

"Boss won't let me do anything. He say's I can't be involved because I have a personal connection with Martha," Jack started. "Jerk even told me to go home and wait it off," he continued.

"Did you see Martha at all?" Ric asked him.

Jack shook his head. "No, only Irene. But that was only for about ten seconds, and then she was pulled back into the house," he told them.

"I should have flaming well knew something was going on earlier when I was here," Alf scolded himself.

"Don't blame yourself. None of us seen this coming," Jack told him.

"The only person to blame is the nut-job that's in there with them," Ric said.

Alf nodded. "Yeah, but who is he?"


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Jack was starting to lose patience. He was going crazy with worry and was almost at the point where he just wanted to barge into the house and get Martha. And then it happened; his last nerve snapped. He stalked over to McGrath.

"What the hell are you doing? We've been here for over an hour, and you still haven't done anything," he yelled.

"Simmer down Holden," McGrath warned, pointing his finger at Jack. "If you don't lose that temper quick smart, I'll remove you from the property myself. You got me?" he continued

"Simmer down? How am I supposed to do that when Martha is in there with some crazy lunatic?" Jack growled.

McGrath sighed. "Look Jack, I can see that you care a lot about the girl. But losing your temper is not going to help with the situation," he said.

Jack bowed his head. "Sorry boss," he said before walking off.

He headed off to the spot where he had left Alf and Ric; he then noticed that Barry Hyde had arrived and was deep in conversation with Alf.

"Yes, I called Kim and Hayley and told them what was going on. They're still about an hours drive away," Barry said. "I just hope this is over by the time they get back. Hayley doesn't need this sort of stress; especially with the baby," he continued.

Ric looked over towards Jack. "I noticed that you just psyched out at your boss," Ric commented.

Jack nodded. "I'm just worried. I hate the thought of them being alone in there with a nutcase," he said.

"At least Corey is in there with them. I'm sure he'll make sure they're okay," Barry exclaimed.

For some reason Jack didn't feel any better knowing that Corey was in there. He didn't know what it was but something niggled at him every time someone mentioned Corey.

"Alf, you said that Corey was acting strange when you popped around this arvo. Tell me again what happened," Jack asked.

"Well, I came around to drop off some fish for Irene," he paused. "And like I said at the diner, Corey told me Martha and Irene had just left for a walk. Um, the house was completely locked up and the curtains were all closed, so it was pretty dark in there. Corey didn't even invite me in, and it seemed like he was in a hurry for me to leave," Alf continued.

"And you thought that was strange?" Jack questioned.

Alf nodded. "Yeah I did. He seemed quite on edge. Very unlike Corey," he replied.

Jack scratched his chin, listening carefully to what Alf was telling him. "Did you notice anything else?" Jack pressured him.

Alf shook his head. "No. Where are you heading with this mate?" Alf asked curiously.

Jack went to speak but was cut off from a voice behind him. "Yoo Hoo," it said.

Jack spun around and was surprised to see Colleen walking towards. "Colleen, you shouldn't be here," he said.

"I wanted to come and see if I could help with anything," she said when she reached them.

"Oh for gods sakes women, how on gods green earth would you be able to help out?" Alf growled. "You're just here for a sticky beak. In a few minutes you'll be off telling Madge bloody Wilkins what's going on," he kept on.

"Well excuse me Alf Stewart," Colleen huffed. "If you must know, I'm here with Dr Saunders. I thought it would be nice if I brought some Coffee down for the hard working officers, and he offered to help me," she told them.

She then looked up at Jack. "Oh, you poor thing. It must be horrible knowing that Martha's in there with a crazed gunman," she said, patting his arm "I couldn't help over hearing your conversation with Ric earlier at the diner. You told him that you and Martha had reconciled, yes?" she asked.

"Ah, yeah," Jack said hesitantly.

"Hmm, no wonder I saw young Corey leaving Martha's late last night in a strop. She must have broken the news to him then," Colleen told him.

Did I just hear right, Jack thought to himself.

"Wait. What? You saw Corey leaving Martha's last night," Jack asked her.

"Yes, I was closing the diner late last night. It was probably just after ten pm," she began. "He didn't see me, but I saw him closing the door behind him. And then he stalked down the stairs muttering to himself. He didn't look too happy. The he got into his car and speed away," she continued.

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. He and Martha had been in her room all night, so they hadn't seen Corey. But Colleen said she actually saw him closing the door when he left the apartment. If Corey was there, it must have been when they were in bed. And then that would mean that Corey would have found out that they were back together before Martha got the chance to tell him herself.

"Oh my god," Jack said out loud.

Alf noticed the worried look on Jack's face. "What's wrong mate?" he asked.

"I was with Martha last night. All night. And we didn't see Corey, so that means that he snuck into the house when we were in bed," Jack told the group.

"What are you getting at?" Ric said.

Jack started walking off. "I'll be back in a sec. I need to talk about the boss about something," he said.

"Jack, wait. What's going on," Alf demanded.

Jack ignored him and kept walking. So many thoughts were going through his head at the moment. This couldn't be about Corey, could it? Jack thought to himself.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Boss, I need to talk to you," Jack said when he reached McGrath.

"What is it Holden?" McGrath asked, clearly not in the mood.

"When you were speaking to Irene earlier on the phone, you said you heard a male voice yelling at her," Jack said.

"Yeah, what about it?" McGrath questioned.

"Well, you said that the voice sounded familiar to you," Jack said to his boss.

McGrath nodded. "Yeah, it did sound familiar to me. But I just can't think who it was," he started. "But whoever it was, they didn't sound very happy," he continued.

Jack knew that what he was about to say to his boss was going to sound unbelievable. And he knew that McGrath was going to say that it was crazy.

"I think this has got something to do with Corey. And that it was his voice that you heard yelling at Irene," Jack said simply.

McGrath looked at Jack like he had two heads. "You think that Corey is holding Martha and Irene hostage," he laughed. "Don't be ridiculous".

"I'm serious. Things have come about that lead me to believe that it's Corey," Jack told his boss.

McGrath sighed. "Look Jack, I know that you and Corey haven't been getting on well the last couple weeks. And it's obvious that it's because of Martha and because you think that Corey stole her away from you. Am I right?" he said.

"Yeah, but I stole her back," Jack stated.

"What?" McGrath looked at Jack confused.

"Martha and I are back together," Jack told him.

"Geez, you young people these days are always swapping and changing partners," McGrath muttered shaking his head.

Ignoring his boss, Jack continued. "Anyways, I was at Martha's last night from about 8pm until this morning. And I've just been told by someone that they saw Corey leaving Martha's last night at around 10pm," Jack started. "Martha and I were in bed by that time. And apparently Corey didn't look very happy when he left," he continued.

"What's your point Holden," McGrath asked.

"My point is that Corey must have broken into the house last night after we went to bed. He realized I was there with Martha and found out that she was seeing me behind his back. And now he's pissed off," Jack explained.

"Because Martha cheated on him?" McGrath said.

"Yes, and then Martha came around here today to break up with him and he probably flipped," Jack tried to convince him.

McGrath didn't know what to say. "You know how crazy that sounds, don't you?" McGrath asked Jack.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I know. But it fits, and we can't ignore it. We have to at least look into it," he urged.

"Fine, but I still want you to stay out of it," McGrath warned.

"No," Jack shook his head. "Let me call him. I'm pretty sure the only person he'll talk to is me," he said.

"We don't even know for sure that it's him yet," McGrath spoke. "Do you know how embarrassing it will be if we accuse a member of our own team, and then find out we were wrong," he kept on.

"Boss, I wouldn't be saying it if I didn't believe it. My gut feeling is telling me that it's Corey and I'm not going to sit back and do nothing," Jack began. "So let me make the call. Please," he begged.

"Okay. I'll fill the boys in on what's going on and I'll let you know when were ready for you to make contact with him," McGrath finally agreed.

"Thank You," Jack nodded at his boss.

You better watch out Corey, Jack said to himself. Because if you've even touched Martha, I'll kill you.

* * *

"Come on Corey. Just let us go," Martha started. "The cops have the place surrounded, so why don't you just give yourself up," she pressured him.

Corey gave her an evil glare. "How many more times do I have to tell you to shut your mouth," he snapped. "You're giving me a headache".

"You've got a headache?" Martha scoffed at him. "What about me? I have a hole in my head. Courtesy of you; incase you'd forgotten," she said sarcastically.

"You just don't know when to shut up, do you?" Corey snarled.

Irene grabbed Martha's hand. "Come on darl, just leave him. You'll only make him angrier," she warned Martha.

"Sorry," Martha said to Irene.

Martha closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift to Jack. She'd heard his voice earlier when he'd first arrived at the house, so she knew he was outside waiting for her. He was so close, yet so far away. She just wanted to touch him, and tell him that she loved him.

She wondered if her Grandad and Ric were outside aswell. She really wanted to see them too! And Rob and Tash. Hell, she wanted to see everyone. It was moments like these that made you really appreciate those closest to you; made you realise how important they are to you and how lucky you are to have them.

She wondered what everybody would say when they found out that she had been unfaithful in a relationship. Would they be disgusted and call her names behind her back. Because in all reality; Corey was right. There are names for girls like her. Girls who cheat. Irene didn't hate her, and Rob and Tash were okay about it when they had busted her and Jack that morning. So that was a start.

But she didn't really care what people thought about her. As long as she had Jack, everything would be okay.

She opened her eyes and found Corey watching her. She shuddered, he made her sick. And right now she didn't care if he got angry; she was going to tell him what she thought about him.

"You're disgusting and you make me sick," she started. "You murdered your own mother. Only someone sick could do something like that. How do you live with yourself?" she continued.

Martha could see his face going red; like he was about to explode.

"Martha, stop it," Irene begged.

But Martha wasn't listening. She couldn't help herself and she kept going.

"You're a women beater and a nutcase. I really think you need professional help," she told him.

Corey shot up like a flash of lightning. He was fuming.

"I thought I told you to shut the hell up," he roared, and his voice echoed all throughout the house.

Martha smiled up at him. "Well done Corey. If the cops hadn't of already figured out it was you, they should know by now. You're voice was probably heard all the way down the street. I'm sure somebody out there will recognise it as you," she smirked.

* * *

Jack spun around and looked towards the house. Everybody had heard it. And there was no doubt about whose voice it was.

"That was Corey," McGrath stated.

Jack nodded. "Now do you believe me?" he asked his boss.

"He didn't sound very happy," McGrath said.

"No, he didn't. We need to do something quick. What if he's already hurt them," Jack told him.

"We can't just bust in there Jack. He has a gun remember," McGrath reminded Jack.

"Yeah, I know. But if he has hurt Martha in anyway, I won't be held accountable for my actions," Jack spat out.

"I'm going to send Fitzy to the station and see if she can find anything on the records about Corey. See if there's anything from his past that could be important," McGrath began. "Just hang in there Jack. We'll get them out of there as soon as we can. Okay," he promised and walked off to speak to Fitzy.

Jack looked back at the house. Its okay baby, I'm going to get you out of there. I promise, he thought to himself and walked off to tell Alf and the others about the progress that had just been made.


	16. Chapter 16

Hey all. New chapter here. I hope you like it.

WARNING – There is some stuff in this chapter that may not be suitable for younger people. Thankyou.

* * *

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"You shouldn't have done that," Corey glared at Martha.

"I didn't do anything. You were the one yelling," Martha said innocently.

Martha was praying that someone outside had heard Corey and recognised it as his voice. Maybe if they knew it was him, they could get her and Irene out of their quicker.

"Don't get smart with me," Corey warned her.

Martha had to look away from him. The look on his face was scaring her.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he snarled and grabbed her face, making her look at him.

"I'd prefer not too. The sight of you makes me sick," Martha shot out.

Corey laughed and leaned over Martha. He pinned her to the couch and pressed his body closer to hers.

"Get off her," Irene begged, standing up and moving towards Martha.

Corey snapped his gaze onto Irene. "Stay out of this," he growled, and Irene shrunk back in fear. She knew what he was capable of; she'd seen what he did to Martha when he got angry.

He looked back at Martha. "Isn't this a compromising position?" he smirked.

"Get off me," Martha ordered, trying to push him away.

"I give the orders around here," Corey told her, while running his hand up and down her thigh.

"What do you want?" Martha cried.

Corey raised his hand to the cheek that was clear of blood; to the cheek that now had a bright red hand print forming, from where he had slapped her before. He softly started caressing it.

"What is it about Jack Holden that turns you on so much?" he whispered. "Is he really that great in the sack? He must be doing something right. Especially for you to run back to him," he continued.

Martha looked away from Corey. She felt sick. Corey had his hands all over her and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

She started sobbing. "Get away from me," she said.

He paid no attention and kept on with his torment. "I heard you moaning his name last night. I broke into your apartment while you two were going at it. The two of you were so into it, that you didn't even notice that someone had entered the house," he told her truthfully.

Martha gasped. "So you're a dirty pervert aswell," she stated, squirming underneath him.

"Please Corey, leave her alone," Irene begged again, her eyes filling with tears. She couldn't stand seeing him treating Martha the way that he was. It was disgusting and degrading.

Corey turned his head to look at Irene again. "I thought I told you to mind your own business," he snapped at her. "Just shut your mouth and I might let you out of here in one piece," he kept on.

He turned back to Martha, still pinning her down. "You never even gave me the chance to make you moan. I'm sure I would have done the job just a good as Saint Jack," he whispered in her ear.

He moved his face until his lips where touching hers. She pursed her lips together; trying to stop his tongue intruding into her mouth.

"Don't fight it," he ordered against her lips. He squeezed her cheeks, trying to get her to part her lips, but she wouldn't budge.

"I want you to kiss me," he demanded.

Martha shook her head. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She closed her eyes and felt a single tear roll down her cheek.

Corey went to speak again but was disrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. He smirked at Martha. "Saved by the bell," he said.

Martha's heart was racing. She could feel herself trembling and her hands were shaking. She felt violated. Martha let out a sigh of relief when Corey pushed away from her. Irene immediately got up from her spot and moved towards Martha gathering her into a hug; comforting the crying girl.

They watched as Corey sauntered towards the kitchen bench and picked up his mobile phone. He looked over at them and smiled.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't your precious lover boy now," he commented. "May as well get the talk out of the way," he said, and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hello Jack," he said smartly.

* * *

Jack held the phone against his ear; waiting patiently and hoping that Corey would answer his phone. Jack was surrounded by his boss and few other work colleagues. Alf and the others were standing a bit further away, trying to listen in aswell. 

Jack was about to hang up, because he didn't think Corey was going to answer, but then the familiar voice of the person he hated most could be heard.

"Hello Jack," Corey said smartly.

"Corey," Jack said simply.

"What do you want Jack?" Corey asked.

"So it is you holding Martha and Irene in there then?" Jack wanted to know.

Corey let out a lazy sigh. "Guess so. Took you moron's long enough to figure it out," he started. "Of course, if it wasn't for your stupid girlfriend, I wouldn't have yelled and you idiots would still be out there trying to figure it out," he finished.

"Actually, I had already figured it out before you yelled," Jack stated. "Turns out someone saw you leaving Martha's apartment last night. Spying on us were you?" Jack questioned.

"I wouldn't call it spying. It was more about me finding out if Martha was a dirty little bit….," Corey started but was cut off by Jack.

"Don't you dare call her that," Jack growled at him.

Corey laughed. "Aww, Jack's sticking up for his precious Martha. How sweet," he said sarcastically.

"Is that why you're doing this? Because Martha was seeing me behind your back and you found out?" Jack asked him.

Jack looked around at the people that were listening in. Jack could tell from the looks on their faces that they were shocked about what he had just said about him and Martha seeing each other behind Corey's back. Alf shook his head and was muttering something under his breath; something about young people and their hormones. Jack didn't care what they all thought of him and Martha. It was none of their business anyway.

"I wasn't going to let her make a fool out of me," Corey told Jack.

"What about me? This is my fault too! You can't just blame Martha. Besides, how do you know it was even her fault? I could have seduced her or something," Jack said, trying to take the blame off Martha.

"Do you think I'm stupid? It takes two to tango Jacky. She knew what she was doing," Corey said. "But don't worry. You'll get what's coming to you," he exclaimed.

"Okay then. You can have me in exchange for Martha and Irene," Jack tried to bargain with him. As soon as he said this, McGrath started shaking his head at him. He didn't approve of Jack trying to trade himself in for the safety of the two women. But Jack would do anything to make sure that Martha was safe.

"No, I don't think so," Corey finally said. "Anyway's, I'm not finished with Martha yet," he said in a sleazy voice that Jack did not like.

Jack could feel his temper flaring. He tried to hold it in, but found that he couldn't. "I swear to god, if you even touch her; I'll kill you," he threatened through the phone.

Corey started laughing. "Looks like I'm a dead man then, because I've already touched mate," he tormented. "And I must say that even though her pretty face is a little bloody; she's still beautiful," he finished.

Jack felt his blood run cold. "What have you done to her?" he demanded.

Alf and Ric tried to move towards Jack but were held back by two officers. "What the hell is going on?" Alf yelled. He'd seen the look on Jack's face and he knew something was up.

"Tell the old man to pipe down, will ya," Jack heard Corey say over the top of Alf's yelling.

"What have you done to Martha?" Jack demanded again.

"Don't worry Jack, I'm taking real good care of her," Corey began. "Hold on, I'll put her on and she can tell you herself," he said.

Jack was fuming. Corey had hurt Martha and he couldn't get in there to help her. But he was about to talk to her, so that was better than nothing.

"Jack," he heard Martha say into the phone. Her voice was low and she sounded tired.

"Martha, are you okay?" he asked in a soothing voice.

He then heard Corey's voice in the background. "Go on, tell him what I did to you," Corey urged her.

Martha started sobbing. "He hit me a couple times, and he knocked me out," she told him.

Jack felt like his heart was breaking. She sounded scared, and she was probably in pain because of that bastard. He wanted to cry, but he knew that he needed to stay strong for Martha.

"Jack. Get me out of here. Please," she begged.

"Don't worry; it's all going to be over soon. I promise," he told her.

She started crying again. "Jack, I lo…..," she started to say but was cut off by Corey.

"I don't think so," he snapped and snatched the phone off her.

"Martha? Martha?" Jack yelled.

"She's gone now. I'm back," Corey said smugly.

"Just don't hurt her okay?" Jack said to Corey.

Corey let out an evil laugh. "Like I said, I'm not finished with her yet. She's got a good body under those clothes, and she feels real good too. She may come in handy down the track," he tormented Jack.

"You bastard. Don't you dare touch her," Jack yelled furiously.

"Jack, you really should learn to share. You can't have her all to yourself," Corey said with a sarcastic tone to his voice. "Anyway's, it's been nice talking to you, but I'm bored. So I'm gonna go now," he said.

Jack didn't want him to hang up, but he didn't know how to keep him on the phone. "Wait, what about Irene? Is she okay?" he asked.

"Irene's fine. Good bye Jack," Corey sighed and hung up.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Corey stood at the window, peeking out the curtain. "Look at the idiots out there. They don't even know what to do next," he said.

"I don't know why you're getting excited. They know it's you, so you're a goner. Just let us go," Martha glared at him.

Corey swung around to face her. "Aww. You're not in a bad mood because I wouldn't let you talk to your sweetie pie for longer, are you?" he asked sarcastically.

"Shut up," she spat out, and looked away from him in disgust.

Corey laughed. "Or maybe it's because you tried to tell him that you loved him, but I snatched the phone away before you got the chance," he said.

Martha hated him. She couldn't believe that she had once thought he was a good guy. God, how wrong she was.

She'd tried to tell Jack that she loved him, because honestly she didn't know if she'd ever get another chance too. But Corey had heard her start to say it, and he had taken the phone from her. Now Jack would probably never know how she really felt.

"You okay?" Irene asked her.

Martha smiled at her; once again thanking god that she wasn't alone. "Yeah. Still got a bit of a headache, but my face is starting to feel a bit numb. So I can't really feel anything at the moment," she told Irene. "Are you okay?" she asked back.

Irene nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just worried about your injury. It's still bleeding quite heavily. I wish he would just let us go so you could get to the hospital," she replied.

"Me too," Martha exclaimed. "I'm actually starting to feel a bit faint and light headed. I guess it's because I'm losing blood," she continued.

"We will get out of here. I know we will, and it's going to be soon," Irene reassured her.

* * *

Jack was in a state of panic. He had to hide it though; if his boss thought that he was losing control, he'd remove him. But Jack needed to be there, he needed to be there for Martha. So he had to keep his feelings in check.

"Are you sure that Martha's okay?" Alf asked again.

Jack nodded, trying his hardest to reassure him that everything was okay. "She sounded okay. Just a bit upset," he told Alf, Ric and Barry. He knew he had to tell them about Corey hitting Martha. He knew it would upset them, but it had to be done.

"But, Martha did say that Corey had hit her a couple times," he confessed. He saw the look on both Alf and Ric's faces. They weren't happy and Alf looked like he was about to explode.

"What! I'm going to ring that flaming mongrel's neck," Alf roared.

"I'll be in on that," Ric added.

"I want my granddaughter out of there this instance. Do you hear me?" he yelled across the road to McGrath. "I'll go in there my bloody self if I have too," he kept on yelling, as he moved to walk across the street to the house.

"Alf, you need to calm down. I'm worried aswell, but there's nothing we can do right now," Jack said, holding Alf back.

"Yeah, come on Grandad. We need to let them do their job," Ric begged. He hated seeing his grandad so upset.

Jack looked up and noticed Flynn walking across the road towards them. He'd managed to convince Colleen to go back to the diner, but he had returned himself after he had dropped her off.

"Any news?" Flynn asked when he reached them.

"He's hurt Martha," Alf told him.

"What? Is she okay?" Flynn asked shocked.

"Corey let me speak to Martha on the phone. She told me that he had hit her a couple times," Jack began to tell him. "We're not sure if there are any injuries yet," he continued. Jack was praying that there wasn't, although Corey had mentioned something about blood. But he wasn't about to tell them that. Alf would completely flip.

"Well it's a good thing I came back then. I've got my bag in the car, so if they need a Doctor, I'll be on hand straight away," Flynn told them.

"Thanks Doc," Alf said, patting him on the back.

"Here comes Kim and Hayely," Ric interrupted. Jack watched as Kim's car screeched to halt. They both jumped out and ran towards them. Hayley quickly made a path towards Jack.

"What's going on? Is Irene okay? What about Martha? Do they know who's doing this?" she blabbered, trying to hold in her tears.

"Whoa, slow down. One question at a time," Jack tried to calm her down.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really worried," she apologised.

"It's okay. Irene and Martha are fine. But we're still working on a way to get them out," Jack said honestly.

Hayley let out a sigh of relief. "Well as long as their okay. Wait, what about Corey? Is he okay?" she questioned.

Jack realised that Kim and Hayley hadn't been told that Corey was the one behind this.

"He's the flaming Mongrel who's holding them in there," Alf spat out. Hayley gasped. "Oh my god," she said, holding her hand up to her mouth.

"Why on earth would he do something like this?" Kim asked.

"Don't ask mate. It's a long story," Jack told him.

"Well, I'm up for a long story," Kim said back. Jack sighed. He really didn't want to explain it again.

"If Jack doesn't want to tell all, I will," Ric jumped in. "Let's just say that Corey wasn't to impressed when he found out that Jack and Martha were still going at it behind his back," Ric said, trying not laugh.

"Hey. What?" Kim asked, clearly confused.

"Jack and Martha are back together," Ric replied in a more simple sentence.

"You mean to say that he's doing this because Martha wants to be with Jack and not him? What a loony," Kim stated.

"You're telling me," Ric scoffed.

Jack could feel his anger rising. He needed to be alone. He didn't want to break down in front of everyone. So he slowly walked across the road and sat down on a small patch of grass.

He thought about Martha and how scared she sounded on the phone. He wanted to see her so bad. Just to make sure that she was okay. It wasn't fair. He should have been the one in there, not her. Jack could feel his eyes welling up with tears. If anything happened to Martha it would be his fault, and he'd never be able to forgive himself.

"Jack," he heard a voice say. He looked up and saw his dad running across the road towards him. "I came as soon as I heard what was going on," Tony said to his son.

"Hey dad," Jack said, wiping away the stray tear that was sliding down his cheek.

Tony sat down next to him. "I can't believe that this is all Corey's doing," he said. "Ric filled me in on why Corey was doing this. How come you never told me that you and Martha were working things out?" Tony asked.

Jack shrugged. "We wanted to wait until Martha had broken up with Corey," he replied.

"So the last two nights when you didn't come home; you were with Martha?" Tony questioned. It was really more of a statement than a question.

"Yep. Stupid idea that was. I should have stayed away until her and Corey was over," Jack began. "If I had of, Martha and Irene wouldn't be in this position. This is all my fault dad," he finished.

"Jack this is not your fault, so stop blaming yourself," Tony ordered.

"How can this not be my fault? I should have kept my hands to myself," Jack said.

"Mate, you're a Holden. And Holden's can never keep their hands to themselves. It's just the way we are, and who could resist that Holden charm anyway?" Tony teased his son.

Jack laughed at his dad. "Of course you would say that," he said. "Just trying to cheer you up mate," Tony said.

"Dad, if anything happens to her I'll never be able to forgive my self," he told his father.

Tony looked at his son. He could see the pain and sadness in his eyes. "You really care about her a lot, don't you?" he questioned him.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I do," he replied. "I love her," he said honestly.

Tony wrapped his arm around Jack. He was surprised by how honest his son was being. He never really spoke about his feelings, and this was the first time that Jack had ever told him that he loved a girl. Maybe it was because Jack had never really been in love before. Martha was probably the first girl he'd ever really let himself get close too. Close enough to fall in love that is.

"Martha's going to be fine. I know she will," Tony comforted him.

"I need her," Jack said.

"I know mate," Tony sighed. "I know."


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Jack looked at his watch. It was almost 5:00pm and it would be getting dark soon. Martha and Irene had been in there for hours and Jack hoped it would be all over soon.

"Holden," McGrath called out.

Jack looked up and saw McGrath standing with Fitzy. She must have just gotten back from the station. McGrath had sent her to see if she could find anything about Corey and his past.

Jack ran over to them. "Did you find anything?" he asked.

"Yes, she did," McGrath nodded.

"Well?" Jack asked, sounding impatient.

"According to his records, yesterday was the two year anniversary of his father's death," Fitzy said.

"Yeah, I already knew that," Jack told them.

"And tomorrow is the two year anniversary of his mother's death," Fitzy continued.

Jack was shocked. He didn't realise that Corey's mum was dead also. "Whoa. Both parents dead in the space of two day's. That's gotta be rough. How did they die?" Jack asked her.

Lara sighed. "His father took his own life. And two days later his mother's body was found at the bottom of the stairs at the family home," she began. "They never determined whether she took her own life or fell. But the interesting part is that in the father's suicide note it said that he couldn't live any longer because he found out his wife was having an affair," she explained.

"Oh my god," Jack gasped. "No wonder Corey is so angry at Martha. His mother had done the same thing to his father".

Jack tried to process what Lara had just told him. And then suddenly a horrible thought occurred to him. "You don't think there is a chance that Corey killed his own mother, do you?" he stated.

"It's a possibility. If his reaction to you and Martha is anything to go by, I'd say it's a huge possibility," McGrath nodded.

"And the records say that Corey was at the house when the accident happened. He could have easily pushed her and made it look like an accident" Lara added.

Jack started panicking. "Oh my god. Martha and Irene are in there with a psychotic murderer. We need to get them out now," he growled.

"I agree. We need to get a move on with this. We need to get them out before Corey flips and hurts them more than he probably already has," McGrath agreed with Jack. "Fitzy, fill in the boys with the new info, and tell them we will be making a move soon," he kept on.

McGrath looked back at Jack. "Nothing's changed. You're still sitting this out. You're feeling's for the girl could still get in the way of doing your job properly," he said.

"Yes, Boss," Jack obliged.

Jack let out a sigh. Soon Martha would be safe and back in his arms.

* * *

"Can we turn on a light? It's getting dark in here," Martha asked.

Corey looked at her. "Do what you want," he said.

"If I could do what I wanted, I'd be walking out of here," Martha scoffed.

"Well you can't do what you want, can you?" he smirked.

"You just said I could do what I wanted. I wish you would make up your mind," Martha said to him sarcastically.

"Don't get smart with me," he warned, while flicking on a few lights.

Martha had to close her eyes for a few seconds. The lights were bright and hurting her eyes. It didn't help that her splitting headache was returning. She slowly opened her eyes; letting them get used to the light.

She then looked at Irene who was watching Corey like a hawk. "What's taking them so long?" Martha cried.

Corey who had heard Martha's question looked at her and gave an evil laugh. "Maybe they have realised how much of a little bitch you really are and have all decided to go home," he sneered.

That was the last straw; Martha couldn't stand it anymore. She was getting sick of him calling her names. Maybe he should take a look in the mirror; he was a murderer. What she had done was nothing compared to what he had done. She needed to do something; she couldn't sit around anymore waiting for the cops to help her and Irene. Sometimes the only person you can count on for help is yourself. And that was exactly what she was going to do.

Martha moved forward; ready to stand. "Martha, what are you doing?" Irene asked. "Getting us out of here," Martha stated. Irene gasped. "Don't be stupid girlie. He's dangerous," she said in a worried voice. Martha ignored her.

"Hey," she called out. Corey spun around to face her. "What?" he asked in a tone that suggested he clearly wasn't in the mood.

"I just wanted to tell you that I never really liked you. I just went out with you to make Jack jealous," she told him honestly.

"Martha, don't," Irene begged, standing up and moving a few steps closer to where Martha was standing with Corey.

Martha went to speak again, but stopped when she felt her head spin. She nearly fell down, but she regained her composure.

"What did you just say?" Corey snarled.

"You heard me. I used you to make Jack jealous. You were just a thing that I could use to my advantage," she smirked at him.

On the outside Martha seemed cool and collected; very confident. But on the inside she was scared beyond belief. She felt sick and wanted to back down, but she had started something and she had no intention of stopping.

"If you're trying to piss me off; it's working," Corey told her. "I suggest you stop now, before you say something you'll regret," he said.

"I'm so scared," Martha sarcastically told him. By now Irene was standing just behind Martha; reaching a hand out and trying to pull her back. "Stop it Martha," Irene scolded. Martha shook her off.

"You really are a stupid girl," Corey said smugly. "I really don't know what it was that I saw in you. I don't see why Jack thinks you're so great either," he continued.

Martha knew what she was about to say next would really tip him over the edge, but if it meant getting out of there; she was willing to say it.

"I'm guessing it's the great sex that I give him," Martha said smartly. "I'm never one to brag, but my love-making skills are pretty good," she kept on with the torment.

"Excuse me?" Corey said, not sounding too impressed.

"Oh, that's right. You wouldn't know, because I never let you touch me like that. Truth is; I would have never let you touch me like that. I needed a real man; like Jack," Martha said in an overly sweet voice.

Irene watched on in shock; not knowing what to think. How on earth was this supposed to help their situation? The only thing it was going to do was proceed to piss Corey off even more. And from what Irene could see; Corey was pissed off.

"Shut up you little tart," Corey snarled.

Martha smiled at him. "Speaking of Jack; I have to admit he's pretty great in bed. The best I've ever had," she said honestly. "He pleasures me greatly. Like last night he done this thing that made me feel so amazing. Just thinking about him turns me on," she continued.

"Shut up," Corey repeated, while moving a step closer to her.

Martha sighed. "My point is that Jack's an amazing lover. And since we're speaking truthfully to each other; I'll tell you right now that you'll never be as good as him. He's more of a man…….," Martha said, but was cut off by Corey yelling.

"I told you to shut up," he roared, and lunged at her knocking her to the ground; with him falling on top of her.

Irene started screaming and tried to pull Corey off her. "Get off her," she cried. Corey was too strong for Irene and managed to shove her away. Irene fell to floor crying. She didn't know what to do; but then it suddenly came to her.

Martha looked up into Corey's face and watched the anger on his face worsening. "I told you to shut up. You should have listened to me," he hissed and slowly wrapped his hands around her neck.

Martha couldn't breathe. He was strangling her and she was too weak to fight him off. She tried pushing him away, but he had her pinned down. His hold on her neck was getting tighter and tighter and she was starting to feel dizzy.

Out of the corner of her eye Martha saw Irene moving towards the door. She saw Irene flick open the lock and push open the door. She saw Irene turn back around to look at her. Corey who still had not realised that Irene had opened the door, kept on strangling Martha.

Martha's vision was getting blurry, and everything now seemed like it was moving in slow motion. But she wasn't about to give up yet. She moved her hands down Corey's chest and that's when she felt it.

His gun.

It was tucked down the front of his jeans. She gently wrapped her hands around it; pulling it out. Without even thinking and before Corey even knew what she doing; she pulled the trigger.

One single shot echoed through the air.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Jack was standing at one of the police cars talking quietly with McGrath when he heard Corey yelling. He then heard a loud thud; followed by a scream.

"Oh my god. That was Irene," Hayley gasped from the sidewalk.

Everybody went silent and kept their eyes glued to the house. They all held their breaths as they watched the front door open. Irene, who was clearly distraught, appeared a second later. Irene looked at them, but quickly turned back and looked into the house.

When Irene moved away from the door again, Jack could see straight into the house. He felt his temper start to flare as he noticed Martha lying on the floor by the stairs. Corey was leaning over her with his hands wrapped around her throat.

Jack broke away from the group and started running towards the house.

"Holden, get back here," McGrath ordered and started running after Jack with a few other police officers in tow.

"He's hurting her," Jack yelled over his shoulder.

Before he got any further, a gun shot rang through the air.

"Martha," Jack screamed.

* * *

Martha gasped for air when she felt Corey's hands slip away from her neck. His body went rigid, and he slumped on top of her. She could still feel the gun in her hand; pinned in between her body and Corey's. And she could also feel Corey's warm blood starting to seep through the material of her shirt.

"Martha," she heard a voice call out.

Martha looked to the side and saw Jack running through the door towards her. Sgt McGrath and a few other officers ran in behind him. She also noticed Irene crouching by the door crying.

Realising that she was still pinned under Corey; she started screaming.

"Get him off me." She screamed, trying to push him off. She didn't want him anywhere near her; especially if he was dead.

Corey's body fell to the side and she quickly slid away from him. She felt Jack kneel down beside; he wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her into his warm embrace. Martha buried her head into his chest and started sobbing.

"It's okay. You're safe now," he soothed.

Jack then noticed that Martha still had the gun in her hand in a tight grasp. He gently pried it out of her fingers and placed it on the ground beside them.

He then cupped Martha's cheeks in his hands and looked into her face. It was now that he actually noticed the damage that Corey had done to her.

"Look what he did to you," he said softly. She had a deep gash on her fore-head that was still bleeding quite heavily, a bruise was forming on one of her cheeks, and handprint marks were starting to show around her throat.

Jack was angry. He was angry with Corey for hurting Martha; but he was also angry with himself for letting this happen to her. He should have been able to protect her. He felt so useless.

Jack soon felt his eyes starting to fill with tears. "I thought he was going to take you away from me," he whispered to Martha.

"Me too," Martha cried, and wrapped her arms around Jack again. Martha needed to feel Jack's arms around her. He made her feel safe. He would protect her.

She then pulled away from him and turned her head to look at Corey. He was lying lifeless on the floor; surrounded by Sgt McGrath and a few other officers.

A few seconds later Flynn rushed through the door and was asked to check Corey. Martha watched as Flynn checked for a pulse.

"Is he dead?" Martha asked, with fear clearly in her voice.

Flynn shook his head. "No, he's still alive. But only just," he confirmed.

"An ambulance is on its way. And one for you too, Miss Mackenzie," McGrath said, and kneeled down beside Martha and Jack.

"Did he do that to your face?" McGrath asked Martha.

"Yes," Martha nodded.

"He sure is a nasty piece of work, isn't he?" McGrath stated. "What did he use to hit you with?" he then asked.

"Um, I think it was Irene's kettle that he hit me with first," Martha started. She saw the look of shock on his and Jack's face when she mentioned the kettle. "That's what knocked me out. But the other time he just slapped me, and then he tried to strangle me," she continued telling them.

McGrath turned around and called out Fitzy. "Can you bag up Ms Roberts's kettle. That's what he used to hit Martha with," he said. He then looked back at Martha. "We'll leave the rest of the questioning till after you're wounds have been treated," he told her.

Martha then looked back at Jack. "Can we wait outside for the ambulance? I can't stand being anywhere near him," she asked Jack, while looking back at Corey.

He smiled at her. "Of course. Alf and Ric are outside. I'm sure they'd love to see you," Jack replied.

Jack stood up and carefully helped Martha onto her feet. He wrapped an arm around her waist and they slowly made their way outside. In the distance Martha could hear the wailing of the ambulance siren.

Martha could see Irene standing with Barry, Kim and Hayley. And she saw her grandad standing with Ric and Tony; they were being held back by two police officers. Nobody was allowed to enter the house.

Martha saw the look on Alf's face when he seen how badly she was hurt. "Look at your face," he gasped when her and Jack reached him.

Martha didn't say anything; she just flung her arms around her grandad. "I'm fine," she reassured him.

Martha then felt Ric's arms wrap around her from behind; completing the family embrace.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Martha sat alone in her hospital room. She couldn't help but feel nervous about being by herself. She hoped someone would come and sit with her soon. She'd had her face cleaned and stitched up, so she was feeling a bit better; but still quite sore. All she wanted now was to go home.

She heard a noise coming from the door and looked up. She smiled when she saw Jack enter the room; closing the door behind him.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"I'm okay," she answered.

Jack picked up her hand and started caressing it softly with his own. Martha looked down at their conjoined hands and smiled softly. She then looked back up at Jack who was watching her intently.

"For a while there I didn't think I'd ever get to touch you again," she told him.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," Jack said, leaning over to give Martha a kiss. But before their lips touched, a knock at the door interrupted them.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting, but I need to ask you a few questions," McGrath said, sticking his head into the room.

"Come in," Martha invited him in.

McGrath entered the room and stood next to the bed. "You're looking much better," he commented.

"Thanks," Martha smiled lightly. "I feel better".

"You probably don't want to know, not that I blame you, but Corey is stable. For the time being anyway," McGrath told them.

"What's going to happen to me?" Martha asked. "I mean, I shot him. What if he dies? Will I be in trouble?" she continued, starting to get upset.

"Hey, calm down. You're not in trouble," Jack tried to comfort her. Jack then looked up at his boss. "Right?" he asked.

McGrath nodded. "We saw what he was doing to you. You we're just protecting yourself. If you hadn't of defended yourself, you'd probably be dead," he began. "We're looking at it as self-defence," he finished.

Martha relaxed a bit; relieved that she wasn't in any form of trouble or going to prison, for that matter.

"Look, I hate to do this now, but I need for you to tell me exactly what occurred today," McGrath started speaking again. "I want you to start at the beginning. I need to know when and how many times he hit you, what sort of things he said. Especially what he told you about his mother's death and how he was involved," McGrath exclaimed.

Martha took a deep breath; preparing herself to explain the horrible events of that day.

* * *

By the time Martha had finished her story, she was in tears again. It was hard having to relive everything. She just wanted it to be over.

"Will you lay with me?" Martha asked Jack, once McGrath had left the room.

Jack smiled at her and nodded. He sat down on the bed and pulled Martha into his arms; lying back onto the bed.

"The nurse told me I could go home. I don't have to spend the night here," Martha sniffed.

"That's good," Jack said, rubbing her back.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" Martha asked. She didn't want to be alone. Sure, her grandad would be home, but she really wanted to be with Jack.

"Of course you can. I wouldn't have it any other way," Jack told her.

Martha smiled, and buried her face in Jack's chest. She loved the feel of his arms around her; making her feel warm and safe.

They lay in silence for a few more minutes before Martha started speaking again. "I thought he was going to kill me Jack," she said suddenly.

Jack didn't even want to think about Martha being dead, or how close she could have come to be being killed. He wasn't ready to talk about that yet. "Let's not talk about that now. I just want you to forget about it and rest," he began. "Alf should be here soon with some clean clothes. Then we can go home and you can get some sleep," he finished.

Jack looked down at Martha; taking in the bruises on her face and neck. He even noticed that there were some bruises forming on her wrists and upper arms. They were probably from where Corey was grabbing her. She looked so innocent and fragile lying in his arms. How anyone could want to hurt her was beyond him.

Jack couldn't wait to confront Corey. He couldn't wait to tell him that he had lost. As much as Jack despised the guy, he was actually kind of glad that Corey was still alive. That way he would go to jail and would rot there for a very long time. It was what he deserved.

* * *

Martha lay curled up on Jacks' bed; waiting for him to get out of the shower. She had already showered and was now wearing an over-sized shirt of Jack's as PJ's.

She rolled over onto her stomach and looked around his room. This was the first time she had been in there since they had gotten back together. She loved Jack's room; it was so warm and comforting. It would be better if Jack was there with her. For some reason now she didn't like being alone. God, she hoped that she didn't turn into one of those clingy people who needed to be around someone all the time because they were scared. Everyone would get sick of her. Jack would probably get sick of her.

Martha buried her face into Jack's pillow and started to cry. This is all Corey's fault, she thought. Why did he do this to me?

After a few more minutes Martha finally heard Jack's door open. She watched from the corner of her eye as Jack quietly crept into the room and closed the door. He must have thought that she was asleep.

"You don't have to be quiet, I'm awake," she said, sitting up into a cross-legged position.

"I thought you'd have been asleep by now," he said, looking over at her as he pulled on a pair of track pants.

"I wanted to wait for you," Martha told him; almost feeling shy.

Jack smiled and moved over to the bed, sitting down opposite her. They looked at each other for a few moments; neither really knowing what to say. They both felt what they wanted to say, but they didn't know how to actually say it.

Martha, who was finding it hard to keep her emotions at bay, finally broke the silence. "I was so scared," she dissolved into tears.

"Don't cry," Jack whispered, moving closer to her and taking her hand in his. "It's all over now. You don't have to worry anymore," he soothed; raising her hand to his lips and placing a soft kiss on the inside of her palm.

Martha couldn't stop the tears from falling. "I was afraid I'd never see you again," she sobbed. "I don't ever want to be alone and without you again".

"Come here," Jack said softly, and pulled Martha into his lap; wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. "We're together now, and that's all that matters," he said.

Jack gently raised a hand to her cheek and ran his fingers over the bruise that had formed there; being careful not to hurt her. Then he softly ran his fingers down her face until they reached her throat; where more bruises were starting to get darker. He ran his fingers over them; gently caressing her neck.

"I'm sorry I let this happen. I should have been able to stop him from hurting you," Jack whispered.

"You didn't know what he was going to do. It's not your fault," Martha told him, cupping his face in her hands. "Don't ever think that it is," she continued.

"I don't know what I would have done if I had of lost you," Jack exclaimed.

"You didn't lose me," Martha smiled; despite the tears still rolling down her face.

"There was another thing that really scared me," Martha said.

"What would that be?" Jack queried.

"I didn't think I'd get the chance to tell you that I ……" Martha began. She paused and took a deep breath. "I love you," she said in a hushed voice.

Jack smiled and lowered his lips closer to her own. His warm mouth gently closed over hers and she met him in a deep, lingering kiss.

Jack then slowly pulled away; looking deep into Martha's eyes. "I love you too," he whispered.

Martha smiled back at him; her eyes still glistening with tears. She was so happy that he felt the same way as she did. Then he was kissing her again, and she was kissing him back. It was as tender and tentative and as thrilling as a first kiss.

Martha placed her hands around Jack's body and softly ran them over the expanse of his back; water droplets still clinging to his skin. Jack rested one of his hands on her bare upper thigh; which proceeded to shoot hot sparks throughout her body. Martha placed her hand on top of Jack's; pushing it further up her thigh, wanting Jack to touch her even more.

Hesitantly at first, Jack pulled away from Martha's embrace. "We probably shouldn't be doing this right now. You really need some rest," he said softly.

"I don't want to rest," she pouted. "I just want you," she said honestly.

"Who am I to say no to you," Jack smiled.

"Exactly. And besides, I got hurt today," Martha smirked. "And I really need you to make me feel better," she teased.

Jack let out a small laugh and pulled her back into his arms.


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

It was the next morning and Jack sat at the breakfast table drinking a coffee. He looked down at the local newspaper in his hands, and shook his head in disgust. Martha, Irene and Corey's faces were plastered across the front page; accompanied by the story of what had happened. There was even a picture of him and Martha leaving the hospital the night before. Martha's injuries to her face could be seen clearly.

Jack wasn't happy that his and Martha's private life had now been made public knowledge. Anyone who read the damned newspaper would now know that Martha had cheated on Corey, with him; and that's why Corey had tried to kill her.

Jack didn't understand how the newspaper had found out the exact story; McGrath had promised him that the newspapers would only get the short version. They were never supposed to find out about his and Martha's 'affair'. They were only supposed to be told that there was hostage situation involving Martha and Irene, and that Corey had been the one to do it.

Jack wouldn't be surprised that if the person who blabbed was someone who knew Colleen Smart. She was probably on the phone all night telling her Bowls buddies the 'juicy gossip'. And then one of them probably rang the newspaper.

People were going to have a field day with this. The townsfolk of Summer Bay loved a good scandal; especially if it involved the cops. Or even better, one of the members of the famous 'Stewart' family.

Jack thought that maybe he should get rid of the newspaper before Martha seen it. She was upset enough as it is; he didn't want this making it worse.

"Hey Jack," a voice said from behind him.

Jack swivelled around in his chair and saw his father walking through the front door. "Morning," Jack said. "It's nearly 9:00 am. Don't you have students to teach?" he asked, looking at his watch.

"Yeah, but not for another half hour," Tony replied, sitting across from Jack. "So, you've read the paper by the looks of it," he then said.

"Yep," Jack replied. "Martha and I are just going to love being the centre of attention," he said sarcastically.

"This is a small town Jack, and you and Martha are going to be the talk of it for awhile. Just don't let it get to you too much, okay," Tony stated. "Has Martha seen it yet?" he then asked.

"No," Jack answered, shaking his head. "I might get rid of it before she gets up," he added.

"What's the point in hiding it from her? She's going to see it eventually," Tony told Jack.

Jack sighed. "Yeah, I know".

"Speaking of Martha; how is she doing?" Tony asked. "She seemed very quiet last night".

"She got a bit upset last night before we went to bed. We had a talk about what happened; and she cried for a bit. But after a while she was fine," Jack started. Of course he left out the intimate part of the story. His dad didn't really need to know about his sex life.

"But then during the night she woke up, crying and shaking. She had a bad dream. She was pretty restless for the remainder of the night. When I woke up this morning, she was already awake. She was just sitting there on the bed staring off into space. Didn't even notice me saying her name," Jack finished explaining. "I'm worried about her".

"Well, it's understandable. She's been through a pretty traumatic experience. It may take her a while to get over it," Tony explained. "You just need to make sure that she knows you will be there to help her through it".

"She knows I will be," Jack nodded. "Last night I told her that I loved her," he then suddenly said.

"Really? And how did she take it?" Tony asked; a big grin appearing on his face.

"Actually, she said it first. She got in before I got the chance too," Jack said truthfully.

"Well, I'm happy for you Jack. It's about time things picked up for you," Tony told him.

"Thanks dad," Jack smiled.

"So, how does it feel?" Tony questioned.

"What?" Jack asked confused.

"How does it feel to be in love?" Tony teased.

"That's enough. This conversation is starting to make me feel a bit uncomfortable," Jack laughed as he walked over to the sink.

"Yeah, alright mate," Tony smiled. "I gotta go anyway. I'll be late for work".

"Seeya dad," Jack called as Tony walked out the door.

Jack picked up the newspaper and made his way to his room. May aswell show Martha. Besides, who gives a stuff what people say about us? As long as I have Martha; then everything will be fine.

* * *

Martha stood in front of the mirror in Jack's room. She looked at herself intently; running her fingers across the bruises on her face and neck. She looked like total crap.

She'd hardly slept at all during the night. And she had woken up from a terrible dream about Corey, and had trouble getting back to sleep. She was just glad that she had Jack beside her, comforting her.

From behind her she heard the door opening; and watched in the mirror as Jack entered the room.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked, walking up behind her.

"I look disgusting," Martha replied, still looking at herself in the mirror.

"What? Don't be stupid. You look fine," Jack reassured her; wrapping his arms around her waist, and placing a kiss on her neck. He then took her hand and pulled her towards the bed, where they sat down.

"We made the front page of the paper," Jack told Martha.

"What?" she growled, snatching the newspaper from his hands. "McGrath said they wouldn't find out all the details," she cried, as her eyes roved over the front page.

"He did say that. But somehow they found out anyway," Jack said.

"Great. Now the whole of Summer Bay will think that I'm a tart who sleeps around," Martha yelled.

"No they won't," Jack sighed.

"Yes, they will Jack, They won't be able to help themselves," Martha snapped.

"Does it really matter what people say? Because frankly, I don't care what they think of us. It's none of their business anyway," Jack told her.

Martha sighed. "You're right. I don't care what they say about me," she stated.

"And like my dad said yesterday; who could resist the Holden charm. I mean, it's not your fault that I'm so damn hot. It's only natural that you would want my body," Jack started to joke.

"I never said that you were hot," Martha giggled.

"You didn't have too. The fact that you're sitting here in only my shirt says it all," Jack teased.

"I have to do something about the size of your ego. It's way to big," Martha laughed.

"Yeah, but you still love me," Jack said.

Martha smiled and leaned forward. "That I do," she whispered before kissing him hungrily.

Jack kissed back; getting lost in the feel and smell of Martha. They continued with the exploration for a few more minutes, before Jack eventually pulled away.

"Sorry to stop the festivities, but I need to take a shower. I have something important to do this morning, and I want to get it over and done with," Jack explained. He wanted to go and see Corey. But he didn't want to tell Martha that he was going there.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

"Um, no where important," he stammered, looking away from her.

Martha could tell that Jack was lying to her, and she didn't like it. "Don't lie to me Jack. Lies are what broke us up the first time, remember. And I don't want that happening again," she said softly.

Jack sighed. Martha was right. Lying was not the way to go. "I'm going to see Corey," he told her truthfully.

"I'm coming with you," Martha shot out. Martha had been thinking that maybe she should confront Corey. It might give her some closure.

"Are you sure you want to see him?" Jack asked, sounding worried.

"Yes, I'm sure," Martha answered.

"Okay," Jack nodded.

"Good. But can we stop and see Irene on the way? I want to see how she is doing," Martha asked Jack.

"Sure. But lets get ready and go now," Jack replied.

Martha smiled and stood up; taking Jack's hand. "Let's take our shower together," she suggested.

"I won't say no to that," Jack grinned, and happily followed her down the hallway towards the bathroom.

* * *


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

"I'm going to go in by myself first, okay," Jack told Martha when they were standing out the front of Corey's hospital room.

"Okay," Martha agreed.

"I'll call you in soon," Jack said, kissing her on the cheek.

Jack opened the door to Corey's room and looked in. It was quiet; the only sounds that could be heard were Corey's shallow breathing and the beeping of the machines that he was hooked up too. Jack quietly closed the door behind him and slowly moved towards the bed. At first Jack thought that he was asleep, but then he saw Corey's eyes flick open; landing on him.

"Jack," Corey croaked. "What have I done to deserve the pleasure of your company," he smirked.

"Just shut up you stupid fool," Jack spat out.

"Aw, come on Jack. That's no way to speak to the injured," Corey laughed lightly.

"You are so lucky that you are already injured. Because if you were in one piece; I'd be smashing your face in right now," Jack said.

"It seems Jacky's in a bad mood coz I hurt his precious Martha," Corey rasped.

"Just shut your face okay? I didn't come here to play games," Jack snapped at him.

"Well, what did you come here for then?" Corey asked.

"To tell you that you lost. You've lost your freedom, and let's not forget that you've lost Martha," Jack began. "Well, you didn't really lose Martha, because you never really had her in the first place; did you? She was too busy thinking about me" he added smartly.

"I never thought that you'd be the kind of person to gloat," Corey said.

"I'm not usually. But I have Martha now; so why not?" Jack said sarcastically.

"Anything else you want to tell me?" Corey asked, clearly sounding bored.

Jack smiled. "Yeah, actually there is," he said, moving his face down close to Corey's. "I hope you rot in hell for what you've done. Because that's what prison is going to be like for you. You're getting what you deserve," Jack whispered.

Jack then stood up and turned and walked to the door. "Goodbye Corey," he called. Jack reached for the door handle, but then stopped. He turned back towards Corey and smiled. "Oh, and don't worry about Martha. I'll take real good care of her, and that's a promise," he smirked.

* * *

Martha sat on a chair facing the door to Corey's room. There was a police officer guarding his room; Just incase he tried to escape. But Martha guessed Corey wouldn't be going anywhere in too much of a hurry. According to Flynn, he wasn't completely out of the woods yet. The bullet had done a lot of damage to his insides, and there was still a chance that Corey could die.

Martha heard a noise and when she looked up, Jack was coming out of the room.

"Are you sure you want to talk to him?" Jack asked her again.

Martha nodded. "Yeah, I need too. And I need to do it alone," she told him.

"Alright. But I'll be waiting right out here if you need me," Jack assured her.

Martha gave him a small smile and slowly turned, making her way towards his room. She opened the door and peered in. She walked in quickly and closed the door. She didn't move towards the bed; just stood on the spot near the door.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cats dragged in," Corey said smartly.

"Nice hand-cuffs," Martha said sarcastically, pointing towards his hand that had been cuffed to the bed. "Although, I doubt you really need them. It's not like you can move; not after me shooting you and all," Martha smirked.

"I can't believe that you shot me," Corey said to her. "I didn't think you had it in you".

"You tried to kill me," Martha cried. "I didn't have any other choice," she continued.

Corey didn't say anything; he just looked at her. So Martha kept on talking.

"I'm just glad that you're going to prison. At least you'll never be able to hurt anybody else," she told him.

"I don't belong there," Corey said. "I haven't done anything wrong," he exclaimed. Martha couldn't believe that this moron had the nerve to lay there and say he didn't do anything wrong. She was appalled.

"You've got to be kidding me," she scoffed. "Corey, you killed your mother in cold blood, and you don't even feel any remorse for it. Of course you belong there," she finished.

Corey laughed. "My mother got what she deserved. Just like you got what you deserved," he said in a cruel voice.

Martha was angry. He was completely sick. And at that moment Martha found that she wasn't scared of him. She decided that she wasn't going to live her life in fear of him coming after her. She was strong, and would get over it.

"You know what? Right now I wish that you had died. I wish that I had killed you. I wish that I could've rid the world of a pathetic excuse for a human," she spat out. "The world would be a better place without you; that's for sure," she finished.

"Be careful what you wish for," Corey whispered to her, with a smirk on his face.

"I'm not going to stand here and waste anymore of my precious time. Especially when I could be spending that time with Jack," Martha smiled; having one last dig at him.

"Have a nice life Corey," she spoke her last words to him sarcastically. She took one last look at him; then opened the door and walked out.

She threw her arms around Jack when she reached him. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

Martha smiled at him. "I am now. Let's go home".

* * *

Martha and Jack sat on the couch curled up against each other. Tony and Lucas bustled behind them, getting dinner ready.

"So, you're going to stay again tonight?" Jack asked.

Martha nodded. "Yeah. If it's alright with you," she replied.

"Of course it is. I already told you that you can stay whenever you want," Jack told her.

"Thanks," Martha smiled.

"Oh, McGrath called this afternoon. He said I can have the next few days off. We can spend some extra time together," Jack said.

"That will be nice," Martha exclaimed.

At that moment the phone started ringing. "I'll get it," Tony called out.

Martha, Jack and Lucas watched as Tony spoke in a hushed voice and after about a minute he hung up. Jack noticed that his dad had a bit of a strange look on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Ah, that was McGrath. He's at the hospital," Tony started to say as he walked towards them.

"What's happened," Martha questioned.

Tony's answer was simple.

"Corey's dead".


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY THREE**

"He's dead?" Martha asked Tony; wanting to make sure that she had just heard right.

"Yeah," Tony nodded.

"I can't believe it. He seemed okay when we were there this morning. Did Flynn tell you how he died?" Jack questioned his father.

"All Flynn said was that he got a blood clot or something. And it killed him. I'm sure we'll find out more tomorrow," Tony answered..

Martha didn't know what to think or to feel. She didn't even know what to say. So she jumped up quickly and rushed off to Jack's room. She sat down on his bed and a few seconds later Jack walked in and shut the door behind him so that they could have some privacy.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

Martha shrugged. "I guess so," she said.

Jack took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Are you sure?" he asked again.

"I don't really know how i feel about it," Martha told him. "I don't really feel anything".

Martha and Jack sat in silence for a while longer before Martha started speaking again.

"When i spoke to him at the hospital this morning, i told him that i wished he was dead. My wish came true," she spoke softly.

"I don't won't you to beat yourself up about this," Jack exclaimed. "It's not your fault".

"I'm glad he's dead. I don't even feel bad about it," she said honestly. "Is it wrong of me to be glad about it?" she then asked him.

Jack shook his head. "No, i don't think it's wrong. He tried to kill you," he told her. "I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who are happy when the person who hurt them dies. It's only natural," he reassured her.

"I killed him Jack. I'm a murderer. And i don't even feel bad about it," Martha started crying. "What kind of person does that make me?" she sobbed.

"Hey, it's okay. Stop crying," Jack soothed as he held her tight against his body. "You were just protecting yourself. You done the right thing. If you hadn't; you'd be dead, and we wouldn't be together right now," he said in a hushed voice.

"I'm glad we're together," Martha whispered.

"Me too," Jack whispered back. "Now, we're going to get through this. I'm going to be there for you when ever you need me, okay," he said as he kissed her for-head.

Martha nodded. She knew Jack would be there to help her. He'd been through this sort of thing before himself; so he knew how she was feeling.

"I'm so tired," Martha said softly through her sobs.

Jack lay onto his back, and pulled Martha down with him. "Go to sleep. I'll be right here," he told her as he pulled a blanket up over their bodies.

Martha nestled her face into the hollow of Jack's neck, and she wrapped her arms around him tight. "Don't leave me," she whispered.

"Never," Jack promised.

* * *

ONE WEEK LATER

The next week flew by quite quickly. Martha had spent most of her time inside; hiding away from all the gossipers. When she did go out, it was only to Noah's Bar or the Diner. And even then she hated it. People were always looking at her, and talking about her behind her back.

She had spent most of her nights sleeping at Jack's. She couldn't stand being alone of a night. And on the one night that she had decided to stay at her own place; she'd ended up calling Jack at one o'clock in the morning, asking him to come around. She always seemed to feel safer when Jack was sleeping beside her.

She knew she was safe; especially now that Corey was dead. But she still couldn't help but feel a little paranoid. But things were getting better. Jack was always there when she needed him. And all the gossipers in the town were slowly starting to find other things to talk about. She was starting to feel comfortable in her home town again.

Her face was also healing quite well. She still had light bruises on her face and around her neck; but they were quickly fading. And she knew she'd probably have a slight scar on her fore-head when that eventually healed. But other than that; she was feeling great.

* * *

Jack held onto Martha's hand tightly as they strolled along the beach. It had been just over a week since the Corey ordeal; and things were finally starting to get back to normal. Jack had noticed that Martha's nightmares had died down a lot, and she was smiling again. He and Martha had spent most of their waking minutes together; but Jack wouldn't have it any other way.

He never wanted her out of his sight. That way, she would be safe and nobody could take her away from him. A few nights ago, Martha was adament about spending a night alone in her own bed. Jack hated the idea. He wanted Martha next to him. He wanted her close; where he could keep an eye on her. He'd been extremely happy when she had finally called at one o'clock in the morning; asking him to come stay because she was scared. He was there within 5 minutes.

"Earth to Jack," Martha called; waving a hand in front of his face.

"Huh," Jack said, finally snapping out of his private thoughts.

"Someone's off with the fairies," Martha laughed.

"Sorry," Jack smiled at her. "I was just thinking about the last week," he admitted.

"Hmmmm. I have been too," Martha told Jack. "Finally people are starting to grow bored of us," she said.

"Yeah, i'm pretty sure i heard Colleen telling Madge Wilkins this morning, about some women who'd just had a baby. Apparently the women was having an affair with her husbands brother, and had now just had his baby," Jack explained. "So now the whole towns too busy gossiping about her".

"So you were ear-wigging in on Colleen's conversation," Martha teased him. "Maybe you and Colleen would make a good pair," she giggled.

"Very funny," Jack said as he swung Martha around and into his arms.

"It's good to see you happy and smiling again," Jack exclaimed.

"I'm happy because i'm with you," Martha said truthfully as she looked up into his face.

"I love you," Jack told her.

"I love you too," Martha smiled up at him.

Martha wrapped her arms around Jack's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. His warm mouth closed over hers, and she met him in a deep, lingering kiss.

"This feels nice," Martha sighed against Jack's lips.

"Not for much longer," Jack teased, as he pulled away from her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Martha asked, looking at him curiously.

"It means that you, lady love, are going into the drink," Jack exclaimed in a fake southern drawl. And before Martha could even register what he meant; he had scooped her up and was heading towards the water.

"Don't you dare Jack Holden," Martha half screamed, half laughed as Jack threw himself and Martha into the waves.

Martha laughed and wrapped her legs around Jack's waist and quickly pulled him in for another passionate kiss. They didn't care who saw them; all they cared about was each other. All that mattered was that they were together. Forever.

* * *

Well that was the last chapter. Hope it a good enough ending for you all.

I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed. I really appreciated it. Thanks again.

Don't forget to read my other fic 'Only You'. It's the sequal to my first fic 'Complicated Love'


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